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There's no easy fix to Austin ISD's special education evaluation backlog. Students are left waiting.Austin ISD has struggled to address a backlog of special education evaluations, leaving many students without critical services. And, just as the district began rolling out a plan to make things better, the Texas Education Agency announced plans for state oversight.
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The Texas Education Agency announced last week it wants to install a management team to oversee AISD’s special education department, citing systemic issues. The district's school board has until mid-April to request a review of the agency’s proposed conservatorship.
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The Texas Education Agency has been investigating the school district for years because it hasn't been evaluating students within a legally required timeframe. TEA wants to install a management team in the special ed department to come up with a plan to fix this problem.
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The TEA recommended the move, citing the district’s failures serving special education students. The announcement comes two weeks after the agency appointed a board of managers to oversee Houston ISD.
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Disability Rights Texas first filed a lawsuit against Austin ISD over delayed evaluations for special education services in 2021. The group sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency on Thursday calling for an investigation into the ongoing backlog.
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Earlier this year, 800 students were waiting to be evaluated. The district's new administration gave AISD a July 1 deadline to clear the backlog.
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Special education services were severely disrupted when schools closed in spring 2020. In many places, they have yet to fully resume. Now, families are demanding schools take action.
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The district is laying off staff to reorganize the department. That includes employees responsible for handling a backlog of special education evaluations.
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“We’re just going to wipe a clean slate and start over,” AISD's chief academic officer said Friday.
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Some AISD families have been waiting for more than a year to get their children evaluated. Disability Rights Texas called the delays a "direct violation of the timelines established by federal and state law."