HISD special education overhaul sparks parent, federal concern in Houston

Houston ISD’s special education overhaul is set to move about 5,000 students to new schools next year, including children shifted from Sinclair Elementary School to Wainwright Elementary School, while federal officials review whether the plan violates disability rights law. For families across Houston, the changes could decide where a child learns, how often they ride a bus, and whether they stay in classes with non-disabled peers.

Dina Kushaliyeva said she spent weeks planning for her daughter’s next school year at Sinclair, talking through goals, routines and services tied to the child’s Individualized Education Program, only to learn that the district planned to move her daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, to Wainwright for the 2026-27 school year. That is the part of the overhaul parents say they were left out of: not just the placement itself, but the lack of explanation about why their children were being shifted.

HISD said it is planning updates to how special education services are delivered starting in the 2026-27 school year, with a stated goal of helping students with disabilities succeed through grade-level curriculum, strong instruction and needed supports. The district also said 142 of its 259 schools will have one or more special education success programs. Houston Chronicle reporting said the new Special Education Success Programs will concentrate students in certain classes onto 150 specialty campuses, a change that has fueled fears of more restrictive settings and longer bus rides for some children.

The district’s own special education materials say services can include in-class support and pull-out services, and that parent liaisons are available to help families navigate concerns and procedures. That matters now because enrollment for the 2026-27 school year opened April 8, and the first day of school is Monday, August 10, 2026. Families worried about reduced services can still press for answers through those liaisons and through Texas Education Agency’s public special education due-process hearing system.

Federal scrutiny intensified on May 8, 2026, when the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into whether HISD violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. TEA is also investigating complaints tied to the overhaul. The district is making these changes while already under state control, a takeover that traces back to 2019 after Wheatley High School triggered the accountability law with seven straight years of not meeting the standard.