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Steven Howk, left, hugs his daughter Yua Howk, 12, on her first day of school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at their house in Hurst. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and will their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Steven Howk, left, shows his daughter Yua Howk, 12, her dress, which she will wear on her first day of school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at their house in Hurst. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Yua Howk, 12, right, combs her hair before going to her new school as her mother Colleen Howk looks on, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at their house in Hurst. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Colleen Howk hugs her son Haruki Howk, 14, on his first day of school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at their house in Hurst. He feels unwell after not getting enough sleep. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and will send their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Colleen Howk kisses her son Haruki Howk, 14, on his first day of school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at their house in Hurst, as he feels not good because of not getting enough sleep. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Steven Howk, left, talks with his son Haruki Howk, 14, on his first day of school, at their house, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Hurst. The\u00a0Howks were approved for school vouchers and will send their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Yua Howk, 12, brushes her teeth at her house, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Hurst, before going to her new school. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Haruki Howk, 14, and his sister Yua Howk, 12, look at the downtown Dallas building from the windows of their van on the way to the new school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Dallas. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and will send their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Colleen Howk talks with her son Haruki Howk, 14, on the way to his new school as his breakfast sits beside him, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Dallas. Haruki didn\u2019t want to have breakfast at his home. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Yua Howk, 12, right, talks with her brother Haruki Howk, 14, as Haruki doesn\u2019t want to get out of their van to go to their new school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Dallas. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Steven Howk, right, gives a thumbs up to his son Haruki Howk, 14, as they arrive at his new school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Dallas. Haruki didn\u2019t want to have breakfast at his home and brings the plate with him. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Steven Howk, right, talks with his son Haruki Howk, 14, as they arrive at his new school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Dallas. Jesse Casares, vice principal of Notre Dame School of Dallas, comes to welcome him. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Board Certified Behavior Analyst Kathy Limmer approaches Haruki Howk, 14, who hesitates to walk to his new school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Dallas. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Jesse Casares, vice principal of Notre Dame School and Board Certified Behavior Analyst Kathy Limmer walk with Haruki Howk, 14, who hesitates go inside his new school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Dallas. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Before the sun had crept over the neighborhood,\u00a0Yua Howk was already in the kitchen, in her pajamas, gazing up at her father. He handed over a hanger with a navy dress. A smile filled her rosy cheeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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A second school uniform \u2014 a navy polo and khaki shorts \u2014 belonged to her brother. While Yua got dressed, Haruki<\/a> was having trouble waking up.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yua Howk, 12, shows her new shoes at her house, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Hurst, before going to her new school. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n In the dim bedroom, their mom straightened out Yua\u2019s bed. At the sound of her shuffling, Haruki stirred, but stayed bundled in his blanket.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cHaruki,\u201d she whispered. \u201cYou gotta wake up, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the first day of school.\u201d<\/p>\n The new school year means a new school for these siblings with Down Syndrome. Yua, 12, and Haruki, 14, are leaving their public school to attend the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a Catholic school for students with special needs. Affording tuition became possible after they were approved for school vouchers.<\/p>\n This is the first year the Texas Education Freedom Accounts<\/a> are available, and more than 85,000 students will use taxpayer-funded accounts to offset private education costs. That total includes 20,700 students with disabilities. While 70% of awardees<\/a> were previously in private schools or homeschooled, some families, including the\u00a0Howks, will transition out of public school.\u00a0<\/p>\n Their path to finding a private school<\/a> \u2014 and staying there \u2014 will test the program\u2019s central promise. Proponents say vouchers will give children, particularly those with special needs, options beyond public schools. Critics worry vouchers primarily subsidize families already paying for private education, pointing out the challenges in accessing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Private schools can turn away students. Tuition can exceed the awarded amount. And the right school can be far away. By early August, more than 20,700 students<\/a> had returned their vouchers, including about 7,300 students with special needs.<\/p>\n Related: More than 20,700 Texas students gave up their school vouchers. Most were previously in public schools<\/a><\/p>\n Those who found a school may still need to make sacrifices. For Steven and Colleen Howk, that means helping their kids adjust to a new school, starting with a new morning routine.<\/p>\n It will take an hour to get the kids dressed, fed, and into the car. Another hour to drive from Hurst to Dallas. And all the uncounted hours poured into Colleen\u2019s part-time job, which she picked up to afford a vehicle that could handle the 26-mile commute.\u00a0<\/p>\n With time and patience<\/p>\n Yua had started eating scrambled eggs, raisin toast and sausage patties. But Haruki sat at the kitchen table, still in his pajamas, fiddling with his scratch art.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He\u2019s not like this most mornings. But his mom had found him awake at 4:30 a.m., dancing around and listening to the dishwasher. Now, he felt sleepy, cranky, wary of this new routine.\u00a0<\/p>\n His mom gently told him: \u201cYou’ll be all right. It will take a while to get used to the new school routine. But you\u2019ll be happy and be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n Colleen Howk talks with her son Haruki Howk, 14, on his first day of school, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at their house in Hurst, as he feels not good because of not getting enough sleep. The Howks were approved for school vouchers and sending their two children with Down Syndrome to the Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private special needs school.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n That\u2019s how things run in the\u00a0Howk family. Haruki needs a little more time and patience \u2014 at home and in the classroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Texas’ first year of school vouchers is starting. Students with disabilities find hope, but face obstacles<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n They liked their public school, but over time, the schoolwork felt stagnant and teachers seemed overwhelmed. Haruki was about to enter middle school. There especially, they worried his needs would get lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s hard to give so much patience and time,\u201d Colleen said, \u201cbecause [public schools] don’t have as much to share.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But Notre Dame, with its specialized staff and small class sizes, can. Earlier this month, the Howks visited the school to meet the teachers. They went from classroom to classroom. Steven noticed current students could introduce themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf Haruki could end the year with just that,\u201d he said, \u201cit would be good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Voucher rollout raises frustrations for school<\/p>\n Notre Dame has a limited number of seats. It needs to ensure it can accommodate a particular child\u2019s needs, said Caroline O\u2019Brien, the school\u2019s president.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n When vouchers became available, interest in the school \u201ctripled,\u201d she said. The number of phone calls jumped, website traffic surged, and open houses filled to the brim.\u00a0<\/p>\n The school, which teaches 154 students and 59 adult learners, couldn\u2019t accept everyone. This year, they took 26 new students, 17 of whom came with vouchers. In total, 74 students will use the state aid at the school.\u00a0<\/p>\n Turning away students is heartbreaking, she said. Notre Dame tries to connect the prospective student to a different school that could support them.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you’re mission-committed, it’s very hard,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cThat’s very hard to say, \u2018They would have been a good fit, but I have nowhere to put them. I don’t have a spot anywhere.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A few years ago, Principal Carmen Fernandez spoke at the state Capitol in support of school vouchers. She told lawmakers the program would empower families with children with special needs. These are families who don\u2019t have a lot of options. They carry a financial obligation for a lifetime.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But Fernandez has been frustrated by the rollout.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n She is shocked that fewer than 30 families<\/a> in the state received $30,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n She is concerned about the testing requirement. She questions whether the nationally norm-referenced exam, which the school must administer to accept vouchers, will accurately measure the growth of students with learning challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n She worries undocumented parents with citizen children will be hesitant to apply.\u00a0<\/p>\n She watched families struggle to secure an updated individualized education plan in time to apply. Some faced language barriers, didn\u2019t have access to technology, or lacked time. Teachers helped those with less resources navigate the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThose are real stories that I see,\u201d she said. \u201cThose are the things within policy that just touch people differently.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Above all else, a Catholic school helps the poor and vulnerable, she said. Fernandez believes in the promise of vouchers, but as the program unfolded, she asked herself at times: Was TEFA helping the most poor and vulnerable?\u00a0<\/p>\n The dream school \u2014 if they can get in<\/p>\n It\u2019s not easy to secure a spot at a private school for students with disabilities. Schools such as Notre Dame are few and far between, concentrated in urban metro areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the school, it costs $27,000 each year to educate a child, but tuition is subsidized by donations, whittling the cost down to $13,500. The state gave the Howks $16,895 for each child.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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