Special Education

The Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District Special Education Department provides educational services to an estimated 18,000 students with special needs.

Teachers, instructional aides, speech pathologists, and related service personnel provide instruction and related services to students who have a disability. Students are eligible for special education services from the age of 3 through 21. Students who have hearing and vision disabilities may receive services from birth.

To be eligible for special education services, students must meet eligibility requirements as a student with one or more of the following disability categories: autism, deaf-blind, deaf/hard of hearing, developmental delay, emotional disability,  intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech impairment, traumatic brain injury, or visual impairment and  have a need for specially designed services/supports.

Cypress Fairbanks ISD offers a variety of services to meet student needs. These services include  in-class support, resource classes, and speech/language support and services. Specialized services such as Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), adaptive behavior, and LIFE Skills classes are provided on many campuses throughout the district.

As part of the Northwest Harris County Cooperative for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, services for students who are deaf/hard of hearing are offered at Emmott Elementary, Spillane Middle School and Cy-Ridge High School.  In addition to receiving instruction from certified deaf education teachers, interpreters, speech pathologists, and audiologists at the onsite campuses, students may also be served by itinerant teachers.

Other special education program options include the Dorothy Carlton Center, the Maybelline Carpenter Center, homebound, adaptive physical education, itinerant and on-site services for students with visual impairments.

Related services may include psychological services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, orientation and mobility training, school health services, adaptive equipment, and special transportation.

Are you a parent of a preschooler (3-5 years), or of a school-aged child, and have concerns regarding your child’s physical, speech, and/or emotional development? Is your child experiencing developmental delays or academic difficulties which could interfere significantly with educational success?  If so, we encourage you to contact the Special Education Department at 281-897-6400 to discuss your concerns and learn more about the referral process.

Please note that the Special Education Records Department has a new email address for records requests: SpEdRecordsRequest@cfisd.net. Please submit your requests to this new address.

Visit the Student Records and Transcripts page for additional information on obtaining student records and transcripts.

Visit the TEA Resources page to view general resources for families and to obtain contact information for SPEDTex, the Texas Special Education Information Center.