They put a legal notice in a disabled child's backpack. No envelope, no stamp, no IEP meeting — just his name on the front and a letter telling his family his program was being moved to another campus.
That is not communication. And it is not legal.
Across Houston ISD, self-contained special education programs are being relocated with no IEP meeting, no consideration of the least restrictive environment, and no matching of services. Moving every student with a disability back to a single campus, away from their peers, has a name: segregation. Federal law has protected against this since 1975 for a reason.
In this press conference, Karen Mayer Cunningham — the Special Education Boss — stands with parents, teachers, and veteran Houston educator Michelle Williams to say what too many families are afraid to say out loud: you have rights, and you can use them.
WHAT YOU WILL HEAR:
- Why moving a program without an IEP meeting is a problem
- What "least restrictive environment" actually means for your child
- Why services have to be matched when a placement changes
- How a state complaint works, and why the state can only investigate what gets reported correctly
- What it looks like to sit at the IEP and 504 table prepared, not panicked
FREE WEBINAR — WEDNESDAY, JULY 1 AT 7:00 PM CST
Join Karen and Michelle Williams for a free training on the components of a state complaint and how to show up prepared. Open to everyone. You will get the recording afterward.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qq5m_epBS_2B54fwwV8NdQ
CONNECT WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION BOSS
Website: https://specialeducationacademy.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpecialEducationAcademy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpecialEducationBoss
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialeducationboss
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@specialeducationboss
This is educational training, not legal advice.
You don't know what you don't know — but you need to.
"When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everyone." — Karen Mayer Cunningham
#SpecialEducationBoss #KnowYourRights #SpecialEducation
Media Article by Bianca Seward, Houston Public Media: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/education/2026/06/25/555577/hisd-special-education-houston-school-parents/
That is not communication. And it is not legal.
Across Houston ISD, self-contained special education programs are being relocated with no IEP meeting, no consideration of the least restrictive environment, and no matching of services. Moving every student with a disability back to a single campus, away from their peers, has a name: segregation. Federal law has protected against this since 1975 for a reason.
In this press conference, Karen Mayer Cunningham — the Special Education Boss — stands with parents, teachers, and veteran Houston educator Michelle Williams to say what too many families are afraid to say out loud: you have rights, and you can use them.
WHAT YOU WILL HEAR:
- Why moving a program without an IEP meeting is a problem
- What "least restrictive environment" actually means for your child
- Why services have to be matched when a placement changes
- How a state complaint works, and why the state can only investigate what gets reported correctly
- What it looks like to sit at the IEP and 504 table prepared, not panicked
FREE WEBINAR — WEDNESDAY, JULY 1 AT 7:00 PM CST
Join Karen and Michelle Williams for a free training on the components of a state complaint and how to show up prepared. Open to everyone. You will get the recording afterward.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qq5m_epBS_2B54fwwV8NdQ
CONNECT WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION BOSS
Website: https://specialeducationacademy.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpecialEducationAcademy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpecialEducationBoss
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialeducationboss
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@specialeducationboss
This is educational training, not legal advice.
You don't know what you don't know — but you need to.
"When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everyone." — Karen Mayer Cunningham
#SpecialEducationBoss #KnowYourRights #SpecialEducation
Media Article by Bianca Seward, Houston Public Media: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/education/2026/06/25/555577/hisd-special-education-houston-school-parents/