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Background
Just like in your school district, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has a department that is dedicated to Special Education. At TEA, this department is called the “Division of IDEA Coordination”. The division that oversees special education supports and services in Texas was renamed to align with IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a few years ago. The Division of IDEA Coordination includes Special Education, Special Education Complaints, and Deaf Services.
Kathy Clayton serves as the Director of the Division of IDEA Coordination. Her team includes people who specialize in:
- Policy,
- The Texas Continuous Improvement Process,
- Funding,
- Data Information,
- Preschool,
- Vision Services,
- Communication,
- Internal Support,
- Deaf Services, and
- Complaints.
Kathy Clayton and her team also work closely with all twenty Education Services Centers on issues related to special education.
The Division of IDEA Coordination is made of a leadership team that works to develop policy and programs to benefit students with disabilities. This leadership includes the Policy and Texas Continuous Improvement Process (TCIP) teams, which feed the activities of the division in the areas of Funding, Data Information, Preschool, Vision Services, Communication, Internal Support and Deaf Services. Additionally, the Division of IDEA Coordination includes Complaints. Special Education Program Monitoring* and Legal are not housed within the Division of IDEA Coordination.
*FYI – Program Monitoring is the system in which the State looks at how local school districts are administering special education supports and services. The system has been overhauled in recent years and is now a risk-based system that targets districts whose data show that they need a monitoring visit.
To learn more about the Performance Based Monitoring System, visit the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/pbm/. At this site, you can find a manual that describes the monitoring process and link to your school district’s monitoring report.The Division of IDEA Coordination underwent significant restructuring in recent years. While a number of changes occurred, parents will be especially interested to know that the functions of Complaints (including the Parent Information Line), Monitoring and Legal were once housed outside of the Division of IDEA Coordination. With the creation of the Texas Continuous Improvement Process, it became clear to the management at TEA that Special Education Complaints could be handled more effectively if they were within the Division of IDEA Coordination.
What Parents Need to Know
When you call the TEA Parent Information Line (PIL) for parents of children with disabilities, your calls go directly to the Division of IDEA Coordination voicemail. TEA staff check messages twice daily, and then forward those messages to the appropriate personnel within the division. Calls are returned to parents within 24 hours typically. The program specialist who returns the call will be able to discuss the nature of the call as well as parent rights and regulatory requirements. To access the PIL, call 1-800-252-9668.
Because the Parent Information Line is a communication tool – not the initial process of a complaint – it was moved out of Complaints and into Communications to more effectively serve parents. Many people in Texas still think that calling the PIL is filing a complaint; however, this is not true. The purpose of the PIL is to provide information to parents. Parents who are considering a complaint should review the complaint process at the TEA website and within this site to get process information.
When should a parent call TEA?
First, always try to get answers to your questions locally…your school, your school district, your education service center. Remember that effective communication and building relationships with those working most closely with your student are essential to the success of your child’s educational programming.
If you can’t find your answers locally, TEA can assist you in areas related to, but not limited to:
- The legal aspects of special education and what the law says.
- How to file a complaint, or get more information about mediation or due process.
Also, if you are interested in becoming a part of the Texas Continuous Improvement Process, the stakeholder groups that provide feedback to TEA, you can call TEA and add your name to the list of interested stakeholders.
If you are interested in knowing where the Division of IDEA Coordination sits at TEA, check out the Organizational Chart. Click here to view the entire TEA Organizational Chart. The Division falls under:
Deputy Commissioner of Standards and Programs, Susan Barnes;
Deputy Associate Commissioner of Standards and Alignments, Sharon Jackson; and
Deputy Associate Commissioner of Special Programs, Monitoring and Interventions; Gene Lenz.To learn more about the Division of IDEA Coordination, visit their extensive and informative website at:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/
Texas Project FIRST is an activity of the Texas Continuing Improvement Process (TCIP) under the auspices of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Region 9 Education Service Center, and is focused on helping to fulfill the goals of TEA and the Parent Training Committee
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