Four civil rights groups have filed a complaint with the Texas Education Agency alleging that Corpus Christi ISD’s truancy practices discriminate against students with disabilities.
According to the complaint from Texas Appleseed, Texas Civil Rights Project, Disability Rights Texas and National Center for Youth Law, 13% of the students CCISD referred to truancy court during the 2021-22 school year were receiving special education services.
The complaint alleges that truancy court proceedings often push students out of school and into GED and other alternative educational options.
“Unfortunately, Texas continues to use court processes for interventions that need to happen at the schoolhouse and not the courthouse,” Texas Civil Rights Project legal director Dustin Rynders said. “Corpus has some of the worst statistics in terms of ordering kids out of school and truancy court proceedings.”
CCISD spokesperson Leanne Libby said in an email Wednesday that the district has not yet received notice from the TEA regarding this complaint.