Tag: Texas
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KISD could have to pay up after mother alleges lack of special education services
This article was published on the Killeen Daily Herald by Emily Hilley-Sierzchula on August 10, 2021. A Texas special education hearing officer will decide whether the Killeen Independent School District will have to pay a family for required special education services that the family says the district did not provide their daughter. The first of…
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Disability rights group calls for policy review after Fort Worth student’s death
This article was published on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram by Silas Allen on July 5, 2021. A group for people with disabilities is calling for an independent review of the Fort Worth school district’s restraint policies following the death of a student with autism. Xavier Hernandez, 21, died March 1 at John Peter Smith Hospital. Fort…
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Austin ISD completes more than 700 out of 900 special education evaluations by June 30 deadline
This article was published on KXAN by Alex Caprariello on June 30, 2021. AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District has completed more than 700 of the estimated 900 backlogged special education evaluations requested by families, closing in on a June 30 self-imposed deadline the district provided to the public two months ago. An…
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Austin ISD Lays Off Special Education Staff To Reorganize A ‘Toxic’ Work Environment
This article was published on KUT by Claire McInerny on April 30, 2021. Some employees in Austin ISD’s special education department received letters this week saying their jobs were being eliminated as part of a reorganization. Elizabeth Casas, AISD’s chief academic officer, said Friday she needed to take drastic measures because a “toxic work environment” had…
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Group sues Austin ISD over student disability evaluations
This article was published on KVUE by Drew Knight on March 29, 2021. AUSTIN, Texas — Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) and Susman Godfrey LLP on Monday announced that they are filing a lawsuit against Austin ISD, claiming that the district is failing thousands of students with disabilities. The lawsuit claims that AISD has refused to…
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‘Panic mode’: Austin ISD needs to evaluate 800 students for special ed. It doesn’t have the staff to do it.
This article was published on the Austin Monitor by Claire McInerny on March 11, 2021. More than 800 students in the Austin Independent School District are being denied their legal right to a special education evaluation. An evaluation is the first step in the process to get special education services. Without one, there is no…