Updates in Special Education

Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) program.

New eligibility criteria will begin on November 1, 2021 for the Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) program.

This program provides $1,500 one-time online grants for parents/caregivers of eligible students served by special education that have been impacted by COVID-19 school closures. 

Families of eligible students can use the online accounts to obtain educational materials, resources, and/or services such as additional therapy, tutoring, or other specific services.

Beginning November 1, 2021, to be eligible for the SSES grant, students must currently be:

• Enrolled in a Texas public school
• Enrolled in PreK - 12th grade
• A student with a disability served through Special Education

Apply Today:

English, Spanish

For additional questions or assistance, contact:
Email: ssesinfo@tea.texas.gov
Call: SPEDTex at 1-855-773-3839

Resources:

What is SSES? Program Overview PDF: English, Spanish 
SSES Overview Video: English, Spanish
SSES Parent Webinar: English, Spanish
SSES Homepage: English, Spanish
SSES FAQs: English, Spanish
Additional Resources: English (landing page with Spanish and other languages resources included)

---

Beginning with the 2017 school year, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) changed the way it reports special education enrollment in school systems. TEA no longer includes a target for a school system’s total numbers of students in special education as part of state monitoring.

For special education representation, TEA only reports on over-representation within certain race, ethnicity and disability categories, as required by federal law. School systems cannot use this reporting data to delay, deny or prevent a referral for an evaluation for special education services.