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HISD speakers blast district curriculum, uncertified hires and cuts to services during public comment
Summary
Seventy-one registered speakers at the Houston ISD board meeting urged changes to curriculum and staffing practices, raising complaints about scripted lesson plans, a rise in uncertified teachers, lost librarians and cuts to special-education supports.
More than 70 speakers at the Oct. 9 Houston Independent School District board meeting urged trustees to change district curriculum choices, reverse a rise in uncertified teacher hires and restore services they said have been removed from campuses.
Parents, students and educators described classroom instruction as heavily scripted and focused on test preparation, said it had replaced local teacher judgment, and blamed that shift for staff departures and declining trust in some schools.
The concerns came during the meeting’s public-comment period, which the board chair said included 71 registered speakers limited to one minute each under board policy. Student speakers described factual errors and curriculum restrictions; parents and several former teachers described high turnover, reduced health and counseling services, and cuts to library staff and materials.
Student speakers raised specific classroom…
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