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Are you ready for a new school year? We're here to make sure you are. This year's Back to School special edition has the latest news you need to help your child succeed in 2024 and beyond.
Bullying: What you can do about it
Did you know that 3 out of 5 children with disabilities is a victim of bullying? If your child gets bullied or harassed, it’s important to know your rights so you can take action. For example, the law says:
- Public schools are required to provide options for preventing bullying or for disciplining bullies.
- Parents can seek to transfer their child to another campus if they have been bullied.
If your child is bullied, they should report it to an adult right away and you should request an investigation. To learn more, see Rights of Victims of Bullying.
Know the (new) rules
For the 2024-2025 school year, there are new rules that could impact students with disabilities.
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Dyslexia: When dyslexia is a suspected disability, the school must include someone with specific knowledge of the reading process, dyslexia and related disorders, and dyslexia instruction in both the evaluation process as well as ARD committee meeting for the student.
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IEPs: ARD committees have until the 15th day of school (instead of the first day) to have a written IEP for students who were evaluated for special education services during the summer. Also, the annual goals for all students must now include the components of a timeframe, condition, behavior, and criterion.
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Autism: ARD committees must start addressing the self-advocacy and self-determination skills and abilities of students with autism.
For a full list of changes you need to know about, read New Rules at School for Students with Disabilities.
Segregated schools and shadow campuses
A Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) investigation found that some Texas students with significant disabilities are placed in segregated schools and shadow campuses. Instead of receiving special education services in an inclusive environment, these students are placed in highly-restrictive environments at schools that lack transparency and monitoring, where low graduation rates and physical restraints are more common.
Our new report, Segregated Schools and Shadow Campuses, sheds light on this harmful practice that violates federal IDEA law and provides recommendations for major policy changes needed.
Around Texas
We joined with other legal organizations to file complaints against Bonham ISD and Corpus Christi ISD for pushing students with disabilities and of color out of school. Parents in these districts who believe their child is experiencing similar issues can contact our intake department by calling our main phone number (1-800-252-9108; select option 2 for special education services) or one of our sign language video phone numbers (Sign Language Video Phone: 1-866-362-2851; Purple 2 Video Phone: 512-271-9391).
We continue to monitor and address district-wide problems in Houston ISD such as a reduction in special education staff, libraries turned into discipline centers, and a special education evaluation backlog. If you see any problems, let us know by emailing reportHISDsped@DRTx.org.
Education advocacy resources from DRTx
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