A new project for special education students is underway throughout Texas schools, and it's supposed to help certain students learn better. The program is called the Individualized Education Plan or (IEP) and it's geared toward improving the way the special education students learn.
However, it is optional for schools that want to participate, but some parents and school leaders, like Dr. Robin Battershell who’s the Superintendent of Temple ISD, aren't sure it will help.
"I think with special-ed you have a such a wide range of needs, you have students that are medically fragile, you have some students that really have a pretty limited cognitive ability. I don't think that's going to change what we do for individual kids, I think systemically it may change some things but for individual students, I don't think it will,” Battershell said.
Jennifer Johannsen is one parent who has multiple children in special education classes. She said after finding out that the TEA is spending millions of grant dollars to collect data she believes the money should be spent elsewhere.
"There is just so much more that could be done with that money, more aides, more therapy times, more training," Johannsen said.
The TEA said it is taking those concerns into consideration as it goes forward with the program while collecting more data to improve it.
Furthermore, a Texas Disability rights advocate group asked that the I-E-P project be temporarily suspended for many reasons, including concerns about the privacy of the students.
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