![\"Cy-Fair](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/CFISDAdminBuilding-1000x750.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Adam Zuvanich\/Houston Public Media<\/p>\n
Pictured is a sign outside the headquarters for Cy-Fair ISD on Sept. 10, 2024, in Cypress, Texas.<\/p>\n
As Houston ISD faces a federal civil rights investigation over its plans to consolidate special education services, another large district in the region is making similar changes to how it serves students with disabilities. Cy-Fair ISD, the third-largest school district in Texas, has quietly consolidated several of its special education programs for the upcoming school year. <\/p>\n
The “Adaptive Behavior” program, which services students with emotional and behavioral difficulties, was offered at as many as 14 elementary schools in Cy-Fair ISD this year. However, starting this August, the program will be offered at eight campuses, according to a district spokesperson. <\/p>\n
Additionally, the district will consolidate its Early Childhood Special Education program, which helps children ages 3-5 before they enter kindergarten who are at risk of not attaining academic or life skills without early intervention. Cy-Fair ISD officials say the program is currently offered at “most” elementary schools in the district.<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Hello, Houston!<\/a> daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n The latter move will require transferring students to new campuses to access the specialized programs. District spokesperson Joel Weckerly said the consolidations of the early childhood program will affect approximately 200 students, and another 40 will be affected by the adjustments to the behavior program that caters to students in kindergarten and higher grade levels.<\/p>\n “We want to clarify that the programs are not \u2018closing,’ simply consolidated based on district need,” Weckerly said. “The consolidations are due to the decrease in enrollment; adjustments were made where needed.”<\/p>\n Click here for more inDepth features.<\/a><\/p>\n RELATED: Houston ISD plans to consolidate special education services, parent says after district meeting<\/a><\/p>\n Jane Friou, the co-founder of the Houston Special Education Parents Association, explained that service consolidations at the elementary level, while not ideal, are less likely to jeopardize a family\u2019s access to a specialized program since there generally are more elementary school options in districts. Friou said CFISD’s move to contain consolidations within elementary schools sets it apart from Houston ISD’s restructuring. <\/p>\n “It\u2019s not unheard of, but I would say the scale at which they\u2019re doing that is concerning,” Friou said of Cy-Fair ISD. “I would be panicking if it was me.”<\/p>\n The district has made no formal public announcement about the changes, but says the families of students directly impacted were already made aware of them. Weckerly says the district’s website<\/a> will be updated over the summer to reflect the new programs and changes. <\/p>\n “CFISD continually makes program adjustments to meet the changing needs of our students within the district while maximizing efficiency,” Weckerly said. <\/p>\n While consolidating several of the adaptive behavior programs, the district is also introducing a new special education program, Academic and Behavior Learning Environment (ABLE), which will be offered at Birkes Elementary. The district says the program “supports students with cognitive deficits who also need intense behavioral support.”<\/p>\n Birkes previously offered the adaptive behavior program and is the only school that will pilot the new program. Postings on LinkedIn and other online job boards show the district is actively recruiting professionals to work in the program, which begins in the fall. The district is also introducing the Structured Social Communication and Intervention Program (SSCIP) at Duryea, Lee and Moore Elementary schools.<\/p>\n There are 59 elementary schools in Cy-Fair ISD. This fall the adaptive behavioral program, the ABLE program and SSCIP will be offered at 12 of those schools, or about 20%.<\/p>\n Houston Public Media spoke to a special education teacher in an elementary school in Cy-Fair ISD and is withholding their name so they could speak freely. <\/p>\n The teacher expressed excitement about the opportunities starting programs like ABLE and SSCIP could bring to students and said the programs, if launched properly, could offer more tailored instruction to students instead of grouping too many students under the adaptive behavior umbrella. The teacher previously piloted new special education programs like ABLE in another, smaller Houston-area district and said the program could be successful in a larger district like Cy-Fair ISD.<\/p>\n “These programs are highly effective for diverse learners when done correctly, of course,” the teacher said.<\/p>\n The teacher raised some concerns, however, about the lack of information employees have received regarding the programs. They said employees only learned about the new programs at the beginning of May.<\/p>\n “We\u2019ve had not even a few weeks to understand what this program is and we haven\u2019t gotten a lot of information about it and so I imagine that there’s a lack of understanding about what these programs are and what the expectations within the programs are,” the teacher said.<\/p>\n HISDNow<\/p>\n Deputy Superintendent Kristen Hole discusses Houston ISD\u2019s consolidation of special education services in a video on the district\u2019s YouTube page.<\/p>\n Changes in CFISD vs. HISD<\/p>\n Cy-Fair ISD’s move to consolidate services and in some cases transfer students from their current campuses comes after Houston ISD restructured and consolidated its special education services.<\/p>\n After drafts of the plan leaked online, HISD announced in May it would close special education programs at several campuses and instead consolidate the students to specific campuses referred to as “special education hubs.” The plan requires transferring thousands of students to a new campus in order for them to access the programs required in their Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs. <\/p>\n![\"Deputy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-9.00.17-AM-1000x594.jpg\")
<\/p>\n