News Report | April 21, 2021
Disability Rights Texas Sues Austin Schools Over Backlog Of Special Education Evaluations
On March 29, 2021, Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) sued the Austin Independent School District (AISD) over the district’s failure to conduct timely evaluations of children with disabilities to determine need for special education services. Over the past year, the district has delayed initial evaluations for at least 800 students. It has delayed re-evaluations of an additional estimated 1,600 students. The delays violate timelines established by federal and state law.
Under Texas law, school districts have 15 school days to respond to a parent’s written request for an initial special education evaluation. The district must either provide . . .