January 2025

RESOURCES

Parent-Directed Special Education Services (PDSES)

This school year’s application window for the $1,500 PDSES Grant will open on February 3, 2025, at 8:00 AM CST, and will close on March 31st, 2025, at 5:00 PM CST. This program grants one-time $1,500 online accounts to the families of eligible students. To be eligible, a student must:

be currently enrolled in a Texas public school,
receive special education services through an individualized education program (IEP), AND
have not received this grant in the past—PDSES (previously SSES) is a one-time only grant.

Visit the PDSES website to learn more, or see the PDSES Application Process for Parents one-pager for help with how to apply. In addition, families will need a My SPEDTex account in order to access the PDSES Parent Portal and apply for the PDSES grant. Create your My SPEDTex account today.

Request an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee Meeting

Parents and guardians can request an ARD committee meeting at any time, and this video from SPEDTex provides information on how to do so for your child.

Organizing School Records

Creating an organized record of your child’s educational information can help you work effectively with the school, track progress, and actively participate in ARD committee meetings. Many families find it helpful to use a notebook, binder, or digital tool as a one-stop shop for everything related to their child’s education. Read more about organizing school records here.

UPCOMING EVENT

Understanding Your Child's IEP and the ARD Process

Join us for a free statewide webinar on January 22, 2025 at 12:15 p.m. (CT). David Mapps, Special Education Technical Assistance Manager at the Texas Education Agency will join us for an informative presentation about the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) process. This webinar is designed to answer questions families may have regarding the IEP and ARD process. We will discuss what happens during the ARD committee meeting and who should be there. Register here.

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ABOUT SPEDTEX

The Special Education Information Center (SPEDTex) provides resources and interactive features for increasing family awareness of disabilities and special education processes, with the goal of improving partnerships between schools and families.