Dallas ISD mom wins appeal over special education instruction

A Dallas mother has won her appeal to the Texas Education Agency to have her son receive special education instruction without undergoing rigorous diagnostic tests.

Angela Bolton-Smith argued her 6-year-old son needs special instruction. But, she said Dallas ISD was forcing him to undergo additional tests she didn’t think needed to take place. She said he was being railroaded into an autism diagnosis that would leave him stigmatized.

In July, at a special hearing requested by the district, an independent hearing officer heard the case.

The TEA confirmed the independent hearing officer agreed with Bolton-Smith, who says she is standing up for parents rights.