HCDE Breaks Texas Open Meetings Act... Again!

Today, the HCDE Board held a Special Board Meeting to discuss one agenda item in closed session:

A. Discuss and obtain legal advice regarding incident between student and teacher

But 2 minutes into the meeting, AFTER the Board President has already read all the required statements and adjourned to closed session, the Board’s attorney said they didn’t have a quorum, because only three of the seven members were present in person. The fourth, attending via video conference, could not be counted for the quorum because Texas statute reads:

Sec. 551.127. VIDEOCONFERENCE CALL. (b) A meeting may be held by video conference call only if a quorum of the governmental body is physically present at one location of the meeting,…

So six minutes in, the meeting was adjourned for lack of quorum.

BUT ... just 2 weeks ago, on June 27, 2018, the HCDE Board held another Special Board Meeting for one agenda item.

A. Employment
     Principal, AB School East

Just like the meeting today, only three of the seven board members were physically present. A fourth, Erica Lee-Carter, was present via video conference. So legally, they did not have the quorum required by law.

But that didn’t stop them. Not only did they hold the meeting, they went into closed session, and later voted to approve a Principal at AB School East.

                                       

OOPS … There are at least three conflicts with the Texas Open Meetings Act:

1. First, HCDE did not have a quorum physically present, so no board meeting could take place.

2. Second, HCDE could not hold a closed session for private discussion among four board members without first convening in a legal open session.

3. Third, they approved an employment position in an illegal meeting, so the vote is voidable.

Colleen Vera

colleenmvera@yahoo.com

HCDE Caught in a Lie

Fox 26 has been reporting on abuse allegations from one of HCDE’s alternative schools for special needs students. Mainly, a specific incident in the Fall of 2017 involving the alleged physical abuse of a special needs student from Cy-Fair ISD.

View Video: Here

Further, a former teacher was interviewed claiming HCDE does not have a behavior management specialist on campus, leading to the repeated use of physical force to restrain students.

                                                              View Video: Here

HCDE's comment to the report reads:

                                                      View Full Report:  Here

Oops…HCDE should have never put that in writing because their own records show that statement to be FALSE.

Last year I filed the following request for public information with HCDE:

HCDE sent me the following reply:

HCDE’s own records show the behavior management position HCDE claims has been serving HCDE's Special Schools for the past 9 years has:

• NO Job Description
• NO contract for a person holding that position 
• NO work schedule documents, and  
• HCDE made NO payments to a person holding that position from 12/1/16 through 2/1/17

Senator Bettencourt even showed HCDE's claim to be FALSE at a Texas Senate Education Committee hearing on  April 11 of last year.

 Forward to  3:19:48  -  Here

Emails I obtained through open records show that the former teacher interviewed by FOX 26, Ron Angeletti, asked the HCDE administration for the name and contact information of HCDE's behavior management specialist so he could get help for his students.

You can read for yourself the run around the teacher received when he asked the Principal for the name and contact information of HCDE's campus behavior management specialist …. 

Principal: Mr. Angeletti we have the same Behavior Specialist  as the ABS-East campus. 

Teacher: Who are you referring to... It is my understanding that ABS East does not have a Behavior Specialist. Would you please specifically state the name and contact information of your campus (ABS West) Behavior Specialist. 

Principal: We do not have a campus behavior Specialist at this time. We share a BCBA. 

Teacher to Superintendent: Are you aware that your Behavior Centers (ABS East, ABS West) do not have Behavior Specialist on staff? If so, how do you suppose that the needs of the students are being meet as it pertains to behavior?

          View full email chain: Here

The HCDE teacher never did get the name of any behavior management specialist available for his students.

Instead, two weeks after sending his email to the Superintendent, HCDE not only suspended the teacher without pay, they did not renew his contract.

                                           Read Full Board Meeting Minutes 2/28/17: Here

Even the list of positions recently approved for HCDE’s Special Schools at the May 16, 2018 HCDE board meeting shows no position related to behavior management.

View Full Agenda :  Here

So, HCDE’s administration has been caught in a BIG LIE that is hurting the special needs students whom the ISDs have placed in HCDE's care. 

This time the Board can’t claim “they didn’t know” that HCDE doesn't have a behavior management specialist on staff in their special schools because…

• Senator Bettencourt read it into the Legislative record on April 11, 2017 with Board members  present and
• Former HCDE teacher Ron Angeletti gave copies of his emails to the entire Board when he spoke passionately about his concerns  at the Board meeting on April 18, 2018. (8:00-12:45)

Who is going to stop HCDE's lies?

Well, here’s the problem:

• HCDE is a stand-alone Political Subdivision of the State of Texas.  It answers to no one but the Texas Legislature because
• HCDE is the only remaining County School Board in Texas, left over from the early 1900s and
• The laws governing HCDE were so antiquated that the Legislature repealed them in the 1990s.

That means there is no one for the people to call to force HCDE to tell the truth.

The Texas Legislature doesn’t meet again until 2019, so currently the best protection the students have is from the ISDs to which they are zoned.

The ISDs contract with HCDE to place special needs students in HCDE's alternative schools at a cost of $20,000+ per year per slot.

It is the responsibility of the ISDs to step up to protect their own students.

The ISDs must:

• Insist on documented proof the students are receiving the support and services HCDE has been  contracted to provide and
• Start sending SURPRISE inspectors on a regular basis to guarantee that their special needs students are receiving  ALL the services the ISDs are paying HCDE to provide. 

If you are a taxpayer in any of the following districts, you should contact your Superintendent’s Office to insist that your ISD: 

1.  Require documented proof that your student(s) attending HCDE’s Special Schools are receiving ALL the services HCDE is being paid to provide  and 
2. Send SURPRISE inspection teams to ensure HCDE is delivering the quality service your children deserve:

ISD	Superintendent	Phone	Email
Aldine ISD	Dr. LaTonya Goffney	(281) 985-6200
Alief ISD	HD Chambers	(281) 498-8110 ext 29219	barbarajessika.leal@aliefisd.net
Alvin ISD	Buck Gilcrease, Ed.D.	(281) 388-1130	bgilcrease@alvinisd.net
Barbers Hill ISD	Dr. Greg Poole	(281) 576-2221	gpoole@bhisd.net
Bellville ISD	Michael Coker	(979) 865-3133	mcoker@bellvilleisd.org
Channelview ISD	Greg Ollis	(281) 452-8008
Clear Creek ISD	Dr. Greg Smith	(281) 284-0002	grsmith@ccisd.net
Conroe ISD	Dr Curtis Null	(936) 709-7702	lgodfrey@conroeisd.net
Crosby ISD	Dr. Scott Davis	(281) 328-9200 ext 1202	sdavis@crosbyisd.org
Cypress Fairbanks ISD	Dr. Mark Henry	(281) 897-4077	mark.henry@cfisd.net
Deer Park ISD	Victor White	(832) 668-7080	white@dpisd.org
Dayton ISD	Dr. Jessica Johnson	(936) 258-2667	jessica.johnson@daytonisd.net
Dickinson ISD	Vicki Mims	(281) 229-6000	vmims@dickinsonisd.org
Fort Bend ISD	Charles E. Dupre, Ed.D	(281) 634-1000	charles.dupre@fortbendisd.com
Friendswood ISD	Thad Roher	(281) 482-1267	troher@fisdk12.net
Galena Park ISD	Dr. Angi Williams	(832) 386-1000	awilliams@galenaparkisd.com
Galveston ISD	Dr. Kelli Moulton	(409) 766-5121	kellimoulton@gisd.org
Goose Creek CISD	Randal O'Brien	(281) 707-3220
Hitchcock ISD	Carla Vickroy	(409) 316-6545	cvickroy@hitchcockisd.org
Houston ISD	Grenita Lathan	(713) 556-6300	HISDSuperintendent@Houstonisd.org
Huffman ISD	Dr. Benny Soileau	(281) 324-7606
Humble ISD	Dr. Elizabeth Fagen	(281) 641-1000	elizabeth.fagen@humbleisd.net
Katy ISD	Dr. Lance Hindt	(281) 396-2304
La Porte ISD	Lloyd Graham	(281) 604)-7000	supt-secretary@lpisd.org
Magnolia ISD	Dr. Todd Stephens	(281) 356-3571	tstephens@magnoliaisd.org
Pasadena ISD	Dr. DeeAnn Powell	(713) 740-0242 Ext 70244
Pearland ISD	Dr. John Kelly	(281) 485-3203	kellyj@pearlandisd.org
Santa Fe ISD	Dr. Leigh Wall	(409) 925-3526	leigh.wall@sfisd.org
Sheldon ISD	King R. Davis	(281) 727-2006
Spring ISD	Dr. Rodney E. Watson	(281) 891-6025
Spring Branch ISD	Scott R. Muri, Ed.D	(713) 464-1511	superintendent@springbranchisd.com
Stafford MSD	Dr. Robert Bostic	(281) 261-9202	supt@staffordmsd.org
Texas City ISD	Dr. Rodney Cavness	(409) 916-0100	RCavness@tcisd.org
Tomball ISD	Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora	(281) 357-3100 ext 2005

Colleen Vera
colleen@TexasTrashTalk.com