HISD mom Stefanie Naranjo said she launched a complaint with the Texas Education Agency after she was told her 6-year-old son would not continue attending St. Clair Elementary School.
"They were doing very well where they were, and then it got chaotic after that," Naranjo said.
Her son has autism and an individual education plan, also called an IEP, which is a document agreed upon by Naranjo and the district to determine where her son will go to school, who his teachers will be, and what services he will get. State law dictates that an IEP cannot be changed without Naranjo's involvement and consent. She argues it was changed without her involvement.
"For me, it was very last minute, and we didn't get a heads up," Naranjo said.
After filing the complaint, Naranjo said she received a letter from the TEA stating that HISD is out of compliance with the state because it did not follow the proper steps to move Naranjo's child to a new campus, nor did the district provide her with written notice.
The letter also addresses "systematic corrections", saying all students impacted by the special education changes must have their IEPS reviewed and the district must review "potential harmful effects of any proposed placement and service delivery change".
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Steven Alenman with Disability Rights Texas said it's not usual to see the TEA take an individual complaint and use it to address systemic issues.
"That is the value and importance of this particular letter: it's not about a particular student; it's actually about a broad class of students in Houston ISD," Alenman said.
HISD mom Dina Kushalyeva said she has not received a response to her complaint, but said the summer months have not made her any more confident in HISD's consolidation efforts.
"One day I'm told she's at St. Clair, the next day I'm told she's actually going to Wayne Wright, next day it was never mind fill out this form send us the email we'll put her into Memorial," Kushalyeva said.
HISD has previously said the changes would impact about 5,000 special education students.
HISD sent out a letter on Monday saying they will continue to implement changes to special education. The district said they are continuing to review IEPs, though they argue a change in a student's location does not require a meeting with families.
"I really don't know where we go from here," Naranjo said.
HISD said the changes they are making to special education increase services and reduce class sizes, but Naranjo said her son used to be in a class of 8-10 students and has been told he will now be in a class of at least 12 students.
The Department of Education also launched an investigation into the district's special education program earlier this year to find out if the district is discriminating against students with disabilities over its proposal to separate them from the larger student population.
ABC13 continues to reach out to the Department of Education, which says they do not comment on ongoing investigations.
SEE ALSO: HISD parents brace for school closures, while some experts said more may be necessary