MEATAXE MIKE CUTS AUTISM SERVICES TEAM, PROVES HE TRULY DESERVES HIS NICKNAME
In a move that has left teachers scratching their heads and parents fuming, MeatAxe Mike Miles has cut services to the special education department in the Houston Independent School District. Yes, you read that right. MeatAxe Mike is back and he's proving that he truly deserves the nickname.
But don't worry, folks. MeatAxe Mike isn't just cutting services to students with autism. He's also turning libraries into discipline centers. Because who needs books when you can have detention?
The autism support team, which consisted of around six teachers who supported Structured Learning Classrooms (SLCs) that specialised in serving students with autism, has been eliminated as part of an organisational overhaul that included eliminating over 2,300 positions and reorganising the administration into four divisions. And you thought your job was safe.
The move has been criticised by some teachers who said the itinerant teachers were "invaluable for brand new teachers" and were often the first port of call when there were crises in the classroom. But MeatAxe Mike doesn't care about crises. He cares about cutting costs and ticking off parents.
A parent of a child with autism in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) expressed concern over the dismantling of the district's autism support team. The parent worries that without the team, her child and others with special needs will not receive adequate support. But HISD, however, has stated that students with autism and other special needs will continue to be properly served. Sure they will.
Let's face it, folks. MeatAxe Mike is just following the billionaire privatization playbook. You know, the chapter on cutting services to students to piss off parents at the public schools that are losing services left and right. Because who needs public schools when you can have private schools that only cater to the elite?
But don't worry, folks. MeatAxe Mike plans to release a comprehensive plan for the district's special education services in September. I'm sure it will be comprehensive in the sense that it will comprehensively tick off parents and teachers alike.
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States¹. It serves about 200,000 students, of which about 16,000 are eligible for special education services². And now they can all look forward to even less support than before.
The HISD has been under state takeover since November 2019, due to poor academic performance and a failure to comply with federal laws on special education³. And now, thanks to MeatAxe Mike, it's under takeover by a guy who thinks it's a good idea to cut services to students with special needs.
But don't worry, folks. The district spokesperson said that the itinerant teachers are still on payroll and will be allowed to apply for other positions that will still provide support and coaching for SLC classrooms, but to a much more defined group of campuses. Because who needs consistency when you can have chaos?
The restructuring also comes after the district eliminated nearly two dozen licensed school psychologists and educational diagnosticians who were supposed to support special education students this school year as independent contractors. The district said it prefers full-time, district personnel over third-party vendors. Because who needs expertise when you can have people who are just happy to have a job?
The HISD has been facing a chronic shortage of special education staff and resources for years, resulting in a large gap between the number of students who need special education services and those who actually receive them. According to a report by Disability Rights Texas, HISD led Texas with a $166 million special education funding shortfall in 2018-2019. But don't worry, folks. MeatAxe Mike is on the case.
The HISD is also under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for violating the civil rights of students with disabilities by denying them access to appropriate educational services. The investigation was launched in response to a complaint filed by Disability Rights Texas in 2019, alleging that HISD systematically failed to identify, evaluate and serve students with disabilities, especially those with dyslexia, autism and mental health issues. But don't worry, folks. MeatAxe Mike has got this.
The HISD must become fully compliant with special education laws in order to exit the state takeover and transition back to local control. However, some advocates and parents fear that the recent changes made by Miles will further jeopardize the quality and availability of special education services in the district, especially for students with autism. But don't worry, folks. MeatAxe Mike knows what he's doing.
In all seriousness, this move by HISD is just another example of their disregard for students with special needs. The district has been under state takeover since November 2019 due to poor academic performance and a failure to comply with federal laws on special education.
MeatAxe Mike's latest move is just another step in the wrong direction. Instead of cutting services to students with special needs, HISD should be investing in them. It's time for HISD to get their act together and start putting students first.
Until then, we'll be waiting for MeatAxe Mike's next brilliant idea. Maybe he'll turn cafeterias into detention centers or gymnasiums into sweatshops. Who knows? With MeatAxe Mike at the helm, anything is possible.
Houston ISD slashes autism services team, cutting “lifeline” for special ed teachers days before start of class – Houston Public Media https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/hisd/2023/08/21/460152/houston-isd-slashes-autism-services-team-cutting-lifeline-for-special-ed-teachers-days-before-start-of-class/
'We’re not happy' | HISD parent worried about dismantling of HISD's autism support team - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rypgKc4Czo
FROM BING AI
Houston ISD cutting its autism support team:
- - The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States¹. It serves about 200,000 students, of which about 16,000 are eligible for special education services².
- - The HISD has been under state takeover since November 2019, due to poor academic performance and a failure to comply with federal laws on special education³. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) appointed Mike Miles as the superintendent of HISD in June 2023, with the mandate to improve the district's performance and governance.
- - Miles has initiated a major overhaul of the district's central office, eliminating more than 2,300 positions and reorganizing the administration into four divisions based on geographic areas. Each division has three units that contain two feeder patterns, and each unit has a special education "unit" consisting of a director, a manager and two coordinators.
- - As part of this restructuring, Miles has dissolved the autism services team, which consisted of about half a dozen "itinerant teachers" who primarily supported teachers in Structured Learning Classrooms (SLCs), which specialize in serving students with autism. The itinerant teachers provided coaching, training, resources and crisis intervention for SLC teachers and other staff who worked with autistic students in various settings.
- - The elimination of the autism services team has raised concerns among SLC teachers, who relied on the itinerant teachers as their "lifeline" for dealing with the unique needs and challenges of autistic students. Some SLC teachers said they were not informed of the decision until last week, just days before the start of classes on August 28.
- - The district spokesperson said that the itinerant teachers are still on payroll and will be allowed to apply for other positions that will still provide support and coaching for SLC classrooms, but to a much more defined group of campuses. However, some SLC teachers said that the new positions are not specialized for autism and that they will not receive the same level of services as before.
- - The district spokesperson also said that the new model will allow support to be closer to the assigned campuses and enable staff to provide more focused support to a smaller number of schools. However, some critics said that the new model will create more bureaucracy and confusion, and that it will not address the underlying issues of underfunding and understaffing in special education.
- - The restructuring also comes after the district eliminated nearly two dozen licensed school psychologists and educational diagnosticians who were supposed to support special education students this school year as independent contractors. The district said it prefers full-time, district personnel over third-party vendors.
- - The HISD has been facing a chronic shortage of special education staff and resources for years, resulting in a large gap between the number of students who need special education services and those who actually receive them. According to a report by Disability Rights Texas, HISD led Texas with a $166 million special education funding shortfall in 2018-2019.
- - The HISD is also under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for violating the civil rights of students with disabilities by denying them access to appropriate educational services. The investigation was launched in response to a complaint filed by Disability Rights Texas in 2019, alleging that HISD systematically failed to identify, evaluate and serve students with disabilities, especially those with dyslexia, autism and mental health issues.
- - The HISD must become fully compliant with special education laws in order to exit the state takeover and transition back to local control. However, some advocates and parents fear that the recent changes made by Miles will further jeopardize the quality and availability of special education services in the district, especially for students with autism.
Bing, 8/22/2023
- (1) Houston ISD slashes autism services team, cutting “lifeline” for .... https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/hisd/2023/08/21/460152/houston-isd-slashes-autism-services-team-cutting-lifeline-for-special-ed-teachers-days-before-start-of-class/.
- (2) HISD Superintendent Mike Miles disbands autism support team. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/hisd-autism-support-teachers-disbanded-18306705.php.
- (3) Families worried about dismantling of HISD's autism support team - KHOU.com. https://www.khou.com/article/news/education/hisd-parents-concern-autism-students/285-d5db8996-1d33-469c-bade-70cabf552129.
