<\/p>\n
Caroline James, executive director of nonprofit Literacy Fort Worth, speaks during a press conference outside the Fort Worth ISD administration building on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. James, alongside parents and advocates, said the school district has failed to efficiently and properly provide special education services to students.<\/p>\n
Lina Ruiz<\/p>\n
lruiz@star-telegram.com<\/p>\n
Fort Worth parents of special education students are accusing Fort Worth ISD of breaking state and federal law by failing to provide services to students in a timely manner.<\/p>\n
Caroline James, executive director of nonprofit Literacy Fort Worth<\/a>, hosted a press conference on Tuesday evening alongside parents and advocates who say Fort Worth ISD has failed to efficiently provide resources to special education students, calling on them to do better. They shared stories of Individual Education Programs, also known as individual education plans or IEPs, not being followed; educators dismissing concerns raised by parents; and a lag in getting accommodations for their child that spanned years.<\/p>\n The press conference was held outside Fort Worth ISD\u2019s administration building before a board meeting that began at 5 p.m. Parents and advocates branded signs that read, \u201cFWISD honor your own ARD promises\u201d and \u201cARD meetings should empower not intimidate.\u201d ARD meetings \u2014 an Admission, Review and Dismissal meeting \u2014 evaluate what services may be needed for a student.<\/p>\n Fort Worth ISD officials said in a statement that the district is committed to serving students with IEPs and takes all concerns seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cFort Worth ISD is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities receive their services and supports outlined in their individualized education plans. We take all concerns seriously,\u201d district officials said.<\/p>\n James said the issue is widespread across Tarrant County in multiple districts, but speakers at the press conference focused on Fort Worth ISD. Special education meetings between parents and district staff are more complicated than they should be, and they should include experts and educators at the table without \u201ca maze of acronyms, jargon and education-ese that shuts parents out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what failure looks like. I\u2019ve attended over 100 special education meetings across Tarrant County in 10 different school districts, and let me be clear: no district is doing an especially great job. There are bright spots, and Literacy Roundup advocates are seeing lessons learned and incremental progress, but the truth remains: we are failing students and families at scale,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n Literacy Roundup is an initiative spearheaded by Literacy Fort Worth, the City of Fort Worth and the Sid Richardson Foundation to help screen and identify students with dyslexia.<\/a><\/p>\n In general, if a parent requests their child be tested for special education services, the school must provide 15 school days for the parent to give written consent for the evaluation, according to Disability Rights Texas<\/a>. The school then has 45 school days to test the student. Afterward, school staff have 30 calendar days to convene an ARD meeting to evaluate what services may be needed for the student.<\/p>\n Fort Worth ISD parent Kim Medford said she struggled for 3\u00bd years to get the testing and accommodations needed for her son\u2019s dyslexia and learning disabilities, noting that he \u201cbasically entered sixth grade reading at a first grade level.\u201d She is still facing obstacles with ensuring all of his teachers are following his IEP this school year, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo weeks ago, I got a notice from my son\u2019s dyslexia teacher that my son was doing great. He was close to being discharged from services \u2014 How is that even possible? And he\u2019s failing reading right now with a 30,\u201d Medford said.<\/p>\n Ashish Talwar, a parent of a Fort Worth ISD first grader, said his family has had to repeatedly insist his son\u2019s A-rated school follow his IEP. Most of his son\u2019s school day is in a special education classroom, but his plan requires him to spend a certain amount of time in a general education classroom alongside his peers. This past school year, those minutes were not provided to Talwar\u2019s family for months, he said.<\/p>\n This current school year, Talwar said, he was told by staff and Superintendent Peter Licata that a federal law exempts a school from following an IEP for the first 10 days of school. Services must be provided \u201cas soon as possible\u201d after an IEP is created, according to the U.S. Department of Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cParents shouldn\u2019t have to keep checking whether their child\u2019s IEP services are actually being provided. It\u2019s not my job. It\u2019s not the job of the parents to act as daily auditors to make sure the IEP services are being provided. If a school lacks the staff or the systems to follow an IEP, that\u2019s a problem for the districts to solve,\u201d Talwar said.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: Fort Worth ISD Board of Managers chair Pete Geren is the president and chief executive officer of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, which is a funder of the Star-Telegram\u2019s Crossroads Lab. The Star-Telegram retains independence in all coverage decisions.<\/p>\n This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 4:25 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
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