The Texas Education Agency (TEA) said on Friday that it plans to install conservators for the Austin Independent School District (AISD), according to a report from The Texas Tribune.
AISD, which educates more than 70,000 students, is alleged to have neglected to serve its special education students.
According to the Austin-based online media outlet, the TEA had conducted an investigation that yielded what it described as “systemic issues.”
“The Agency has developed a rigorous plan for AISD to implement so it can return to state and federal compliance and begin appropriately serving students in need of special education services as quickly as possible,” the statement read.
In a statement of its own, The Texas Tribune reported, the AISD school board said it has the right to appeal the TEA’s move, but was guarded as to whether it will do so.
"We are focused on our students, and we welcome collaboration with TEA to help us catch up on long-overdue evaluations,” AISD trustees said on Friday. “We are united in our focus to ensure that all students receive what they need, when they need it."
The state capital’s district said a public meeting will be held on Monday to talk about the conservatorship and field comments from the community, according to The Texas Tribune.
The TEA told the publication that its findings revealed a purported failure by AISD to carry out an improvement plan for its special education department.
Citing an education professor at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), Austin NBC affiliate KXAN reported that Texas is among the lowest ranking states when it comes to special education.
“The funding is not adequate, they have not ensured that there is a teacher workforce or education diagnosticians — people to do tests to address those backlogs — and there have been all kinds of problems and scandal,” Dr. David DeMatthews said, KXAN reported.
The conservatorship marks the second time in less than a month the TEA has been prompted to intervene with a public school district.
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) became the first large, urban district to be taken over by the state in early March.
HISD’s superintendent and school board will be replaced with a slate appointed by the TEA.