Director of Special Education Legal Compliance

Company Description

About KIPP Texas Public Schools
KIPP Texas Public Schools is a free, public charter school network with more than 45 Pre-K - 12 schools across Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. With over 30 years in Texas, we work together with our families and communities to prepare students for college, career, and beyond! Our schools provide a high-quality, well-rounded education built on academic success and personal growth, where all students learn and thrive in a productive, safe, and joyful way!

As one of the earliest charter networks in Texas—founded in Houston in 1994 and operating as KIPP Texas since
2018—we hire dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will
succeed. Join a Team and Family with an unwavering commitment to creating classrooms, offices, and communities rooted in academic success and joy. 

If you are passionate about joining a mission-driven community that wants every child to "run to school," the KIPP Texas Team and Family is for you! KIPP Public Schools is a national network of public charter schools that prepares students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and us all. We are a network of 278 schools with nearly 16,500 educators and 190,000 students and alumni.

Job Description

The Director of Special Education Legal Compliance serves as a critical support to special populations, faculty and school leaders, providing guidance in the areas of state and federal compliance and student data systems. This role collaborates closely with state-level staff, regional curriculum teams, and school-based personnel to ensure the delivery of high-quality, individualized educational programs for students with diverse learning needs. By supporting effective teaching practices, ensuring adherence to legal and instructional standards, and ensuring compliance with IDEA and Texas State Education Law & Regulations, Section 504 Law & Regulations,  the Special Populations Director helps advance the mission of KIPP Texas Public Schools—ensuring that every student has the tools and supportive environment necessary to thrive.

The Director of Special Education Legal Compliance is responsible for leading and implementing statewide systems that ensure legal and regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and equitable access to services for students with disabilities across KIPP Texas. This role oversees special education enrollment and records transfer, PEIMS reporting, TEA Complaints, Critical Cases, State Performance Plan Indicators and audits.  This leader builds efficient processes to meet IDEA, Section 504, and state compliance requirements while promoting high-quality services and support for students, families, and campus teams.

General Role Description

• Strategy: Support the strategic vision to ensure that KTX school and regional teams implement the Special Education Strategic Plan and provide comprehensive improvement of school performance using a collaborative approach to clear and specific performance targets aligned to the Special Education Strategic Plan and execute, monitor, edit  strategic plans, annual goals and quarterly benchmarking for departmental improvement.

• Communication: Assists the Managing Director of compliance in ensuring KTX special populations teams are provided excellent communication, customer service and well-coordinated support. 

• Legal Framework & Compliance: Possess experience and knowledge of IDEA and Texas State Education Law & Regulations, Section 504 Law & Regulations  and understanding of the essential elements of high performing MTSS  systems and structures.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Special Education Enrollment & Records Compliance

• Lead and manage standardized procedures for identifying, enrolling, and tracking students with disabilities, ensuring adherence to IDEA and TEA timelines.

• Supervise effective processes and procedures for New to KIPP enrollment for students with disabilities, transfer of special education records, and maintain timely coordination with campus-level teams to ensure immediately implementation and evaluation as required by state and federal law

• Ensure accurate and timely communication with campus, regional, and network stakeholders to guarantee continuity of FAPE including but not limited to transportation services and placement decisions in collaboration with regional teams for students requiring self-contained or low-incidence programming.

2. PEIMS & Data Compliance: