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Austin ISD has met milestones in its agreement with the Texas Education Agency in regards to a backlog of special education evaluations, district officials said in an email sent to families on Nov. 16.
The gist
All initial evaluations from the 2021-22 school year and older have been completed, according to the email. As of Oct. 31 the district has completed over 98% of initial evaluations and eligibility determinations for students from the 2022-23 school year.
The background
On Sept. 26, AISD accepted a proposal from the TEA for a state-appointed monitor over the district’s special education department, due to the findings of an investigation of the district’s special education evaluations.
The agency found as of March 20, the district had more than 1,800 special education evaluations overdue, meaning 1,800 students were awaiting potential access to accommodations at school. Additionally, the TEA reported 40 instances of “systemic noncompliance” in which AISD did not meet special education needs in a timely manner, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Overall, the agreement between the district and the TEA requires AISD to:
What else?
Aside from meeting evaluation deadlines, the district has outlined goals to improve the special education department including:
AISD is looking to form a Special Education Family Advisory Committee and are accepting applications for members through Jan. 10. Members will be announced Feb. 15 and the first meeting of the committee will be held on Feb. 21.
The board of trustees will receive an update on the district’s progress on special education during a regular board meeting Jan. 25.
For more information, visit www.austinisd.org.
