Texas parents challenge school district's denial of special-education services for daughter with Down syndrome

Courtney and Spencer Morey relocated to Aledo, Texas, in 2020 seeking quality education, but three years later their daughter Annie, who has Down syndrome, was blocked from preschool when the district insisted on IQ testing she refused. The district declared consent denied and withheld services, leading the family to file a due-process claim with the Texas Education Agency, which ruled in favor of the district. Represented by a pro-bono lawyer, the Moreys appealed, and the case—Annie M. v. Aledo ISD—is now before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Their dispute unfolds as the Trump administration has dismissed staff at the Office of Special Education Programs, cancelled millions in training grants, and announced a June 2026 plan to shift IDEA oversight to the Department of Health and Human Services, a move critics say will weaken accountability. Advocates such as Denise Marshall warn the changes threaten civil-rights protections for students with disabilities. The Moreys have spent roughly $20,000 on legal fees and now pay $18,000 annually for private schooling for their children.