How Texas Keeps Tens of Thousands of Children Out of Special Education
Over a decade ago, unelected state officials in
Texas arbitrarily decided what percentage of students should
get special education services — 8.5 percent — and since then
they have forced school districts to comply by strictly auditing
those serving too many kids.
Their efforts, which started in 2004 but have never been publicly
announced or explained, have saved the Texas Education Agency
billions of dollars but denied vital supports to children with
autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia,
epilepsy, mental illnesses, speech impediments, traumatic brain
injuries, even blindness and deafness, a Houston Chronicle
investigation has found.