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Chicago Public Schools is restructuring its department for students with disabilities and planning to reassign 65 central office positions, according to an internal email obtained by Chalkbeat.

The changes, outlined in an email from Joshua Long, the chief of the Office for Students with Disabilities, also include the elimination of the Department of Procedures and Standards and the Department of Instructional Support, which focused on complying with federal and local policies and instructional support for schools, and the creation of a new department called Academic Access. Among the roles being phased out during the restructure, two — district representative and special education administrator — will be replaced with a special education coordinator to work directly with schools.

A CPS spokesperson said in a statement that there will be “no net loss of full-time positions” as roles are redefined. Employees impacted by the restructuring were able to reapply for the new role; out of those who applied, about 85% were hired, the spokesperson said. The district is still reviewing applicants.

“This shift is not motivated by budgetary concerns or cost-cutting,” the spokesperson said in the statement. “Instead, it is a strategic, values-driven decision grounded in research, best practices, and a belief in the limitless potential of every student.”

Last school year, CPS served nearly 54,000 students with disabilities, who made up 16.4% of the district’s student body. Their share of the population has grown by about three percentage points in the past decade.

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The latest departmental changes, coupled with other staffing changes related to special education, including reductions and reassignments impacting special education classroom assistants who work directly with students, are raising some red flags for special education advocates. Of particular concern is the timing of the changes, which come less than three weeks before the start of school on Aug. 18.

Frank Lally, education policy analyst at Access Living, an advocacy organization for people with disabilities based in Chicago, questioned whether the new positions would be fully staffed by the start of the school year.

“I worry that that will create chaos, let’s say, when it comes to school assignments and making sure that students have their accommodations set for the coming school year,” Lally said.

CPS is also currently revising the guidelines schools are supposed to use to develop students’ Individualized Education Programs, legal documents outlining academic supports and educational goals tailored to the needs of each student with disabilities. CPS is also planning to add 120 new case managers who oversee special education services at schools and 100 more clinicians, such as speech pathologists and occupational therapists, in accordance with the new Chicago Teachers Union contract.

Some advocates think the department restructuring is not necessarily a bad thing. Mary Fahey Hughes, a former Chicago Board of Education member and longtime advocate for people with disabilities, said she likes the idea of combining staff roles and placing central office staffers in schools. Fahey Hughes said there’s a “deep need” for more support in classrooms that serve students with disabilities.

“These are professionals with deep Special Education knowledge, but parents rarely see them at work unless there is some sort of problem,” she said in a text message to Chalkbeat.

Barbara Cohen, senior policy analyst with the nonprofit Legal Council for Health Justice, said two of the roles that the district is phasing out never made much sense to her. Cohen said some staff who worked directly with families were not equipped to support families and turnover has been an issue.

“Some [staffers] facilitated effective relationships between families and schools, but some seem to be unfamiliar with the requirements of state and federal law,” said Cohen. “My question, though, is how the restructuring will improve the situation.”

District shifts away from compliance-first philosophy

Chicago’s overhaul comes at a time when the federal government has fired staff at the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which is responsible for investigating special education complaints. Under the Trump administration, the Office for Civil Rights dismissed over 3,400 cases between March and the end of June, according to a report by Politico.

In the internal email obtained by Chalkbeat, Long, the chief of the Office for Students with Disabilities, noted that the changes represent a shift in philosophy for his office.

“For more than two decades, our office has operated under the belief that compliance must come first — and that strong instruction and student growth will follow,” Long wrote. “We respectfully — and confidently — offer a different view. We believe that when students receive strong, inclusive instruction, their learning will grow — and compliance will follow.”

Some special education advocates worry that the district’s internal restructuring could signal to schools that instruction, rather than compliance, is the top priority.

Matt Cohen, a lawyer at Matt Cohen & Associates and special education advocate, said working on academic support for students is a good priority but worries it could send a message that compliance isn’t a priority.

“I think you’re giving permission to schools to not focus on compliance at all,” said Cohen. “In the context of everything that’s happening at the federal level, I think what they’re saying is we’re not going to worry about these rules so much.”

The last time CPS overhauled its special education department in the 2016-17 school year amid budget challenges, an investigation by WBEZ found services for students were being wrongly delayed or denied. The investigation prompted special state oversight that lasted from 2018 until 2021.

A spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Education said staffers from the agency have been in several meetings with Chicago Public Schools about the restructuring and staffing changes. In a statement, the spokesperson said ISBE will “continue to provide oversight and guidance to ensure compliance and safeguard services for students with disabilities.”

Christine Palmieri, a long-time special education advocate and works with Matt Cohen & Associates, hopes that compliance, procedures and standards, and policies are “still highly met” by the district.

Palmieri hopes the district will fill all the new positions, quickly train employees in the new role, continue to work with the state’s monitor to have ongoing training, and ensure these new roles are accessible to families.

District officials said the district is providing training before the start of the 2025-26 school year and will continue to train staff on an “ongoing basis.”

Reema Amin contributed to this report.

Becky Vevea is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Chicago. Contact Becky at bvevea@chalkbeat.org.

Samantha Smylie is the state education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago covering school districts across the state, legislation, special education and the state board of education. Contact Samantha at ssmylie@chalkbeat.org.