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Parent raises concern over special education class sizes in HBISD FOSI program
Summary
A parent told Hurst‑Euless‑Bedford ISD trustees that some FOSI special education classrooms have grown to about 15 students and said that scale can prevent appropriate instruction and may be harmful to students.
At the Hurst‑Euless‑Bedford ISD board meeting, a parent raised concerns about class sizes in the district's FOSI special education program, saying some classrooms have grown to levels the parent believes do not allow Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to occur.
Jeremy Nightingale, who identified himself as a parent of a child in the FOSI program, told trustees he had already discussed the matter with district staff (he named "Renee" as a department contact and said he had spoken with Superintendent Michael Harrington). Nightingale said his child experienced problems last year when multiple special education students were placed together and that a classroom with about 15 special education students produced "environmental disruption and noise" that could be harmful.
"When you put 15 special ed kids into the same classroom, there's a lot of environmental disruption and noise that occurs," Nightingale said during his three‑minute public comment time. He told the board he had offered to help the district improve forecasting and that he expected staff might come to the board later to request additional teachers.
Nightingale urged the board to be aware of the issue as staff consider staffing needs. The superintendent and staff were not reported in the public record as making any immediate staffing motions during open session in response to the comment; Nightingale said the matter had been discussed informally with district staff and that he planned to continue working with them.
The board allowed a single open forum for public comment during the meeting and set a three‑minute limit for each speaker. The district did not record any formal board action on the matter during the meeting.
Nightingale's comment highlights a staffing and program concern that, according to the parent, could lead to teacher attrition and possible negative outcomes for students if class composition and staffing are not adjusted. The board did not take immediate action; staff follow‑up was indicated by the parent's comment and by his offer to assist with forecasting and planning.
