Years have passed, yet special education in Texas is still failing.
The promise for special education in Texas
It has been years since Texas education officials made a promise to supervise special education needs and fund it sufficiently. This was the assurance by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) after decades of failing to provide for special education needs.
Parents and school district administrators are still crying for support and proper funding for special education in Texas.
Private institutions made an independent investigation on the issue, based on their report, progress in supporting special education in Texas is still insufficient, budget and guidance support hasn’t been up to par to the demand of parents and students.
Sonja Kerr, an attorney on behalf of children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) shared in an interview;
We have already ruined a generation of kids. Now, we are about to ruin another. The TEA’s inaction and complacency is to be blamed for all of this.
TEA openly admitted that they still lack the funding for SEND but they are doing their best to make progress. According to TEA officials, they are expecting a boost in funds by June 2020, until then, they can only operate with what is left in the tank.
Key points regarding TEA actions
TEA special education director defended the institution saying,
There are always those individuals who will continue to criticize our actions. It is their opinion and we respect it. As an agency, we can say that we have made momentous changes, but implementation efforts from the state-level will take some time to reach the classrooms.
The independent body pointed out key points on their investigation regarding TEA actions:
- The TEA failed to provide literacy and information drive for parents regarding the benefits and coverage of the special education system.
- Failure to orient district officials on how to follow up services for those students who failed to avail aid from the past.
Lack of information drive
The proper information drive is also one of the hindering factors why only a few parents are able to ask what is duly right for their children with SEND.
It is the task of the school district administrators to inform parents about the benefits that they can avail of for having students with SEND. The only concern is funding. Without adequate funds, district officials cannot act and provide proper support. Everything will then trace back to the support the TEA is handing out for special education in Texas.
Featured image by HoustonChronicles
