The Texas Education Agency will be conducting focus group meetings on Monday, Feb. 26 for parents of students with disabilities across age and grade levels receiving special education services.
During the 2016-2017 school year, the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, performed a series of onsite monitoring visits to review Texas’ compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The final report was provided to TEA on Jan. 10, 2018.
The findings from that report require TEA to develop a plan to address four corrective actions. An integral part of the plan development process will be the gathering of input from stakeholders and other interested Texans.
Education Service Center 4 is assisting TEA in providing notice to interested parents of the following meetings and registration directions. Each one-hour meeting will be structured to solicit targeted feedback from participants regarding TEA’s initial draft plan. These meetings are closed to media and the general public to protect the privacy of students and families.
These meetings are being held prior to the final plan being submitted to OSEP on April 18.
Interested participants may only register/attend one identified focus group session.
| Focus Group Membership Requirements | Parents of students with disabilities across age/grade levels residing in and receiving services in a public school district or charter school located within the region where the meeting is being held (parent is defined in 34 CFR §300.30) |
| Selection and Registration | Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tea-parent-focus-groups-registration-42989139674 . Meetings will include up to 25 participants each. Additional meetings may need to be scheduled at a later time to accommodate all registrants. Parents must be registered to attend. |
Parents and members of the community are invited to provide general comments and feedback on the plan the USDE Corrective Action Draft Plan Online Survey by February 18, 2018 or by emailing TEA at TexasSPED@tea.texas.gov .