Parents of special education students in Klein ISD and Spring ISD have a narrow window to activate surveillance cameras in their children's classrooms, and many families may not realize the cameras require action every single year.
Under Texas Education Code § 29.022, cameras in self-contained special education classrooms do not run automatically. A parent, staff member or board member must submit a written request each school year. Without a new request, cameras go dark when the next year begins.
The urgency is real. James Theodor Broussard, 26, of Spring, was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 19, and charged with felony injury to a child in Harris County's 180th District Court, just five days into the 2026–27 school year. Broussard worked as a behavior technician assistant at Klein ISD's Therapeutic and Readiness Center before his firing. He is held on $30,000 bond. As we reported Aug. 20, Klein ISD fired and arrested Broussard after an investigation found he allegedly caused bodily injury to a student under 15.
One mother whose nonverbal, level-three autistic son was in Broussard's classroom told Fox 26 Houston she only learned cameras required an annual written request after receiving an email notification, following the arrest, that cameras in the classroom had been requested to be activated.
What parents need to do
Louis Geigerman, founder of National ARD/IEP Advocates and a Houston-area special education advocate since 1995, helped pass the 2015 legislation that created the camera mandate. He urged families to act immediately.
"If you have a child in a self-contained classroom, please request that the cameras be placed in the classroom. If they're not already placed, and if they are, tell them to turn the cameras on," Geigerman told Fox 26 on Aug. 19. "Do it in writing, and do it today."
Key deadlines under the law
The law applies to classrooms where students spend less than 50 percent of an instructional day in a general education setting. Once a district receives a valid written request, it must begin operating the camera no later than the 10th school day of the fall semester or the 45th school business day after the request, whichever is later.
Districts must retain recordings for at least three months. Parents who believe their child was involved in an incident documented on camera may request to view the footage; the district must respond within seven school business days.
The law applies to every Texas public school district, including both Klein ISD and Spring ISD.
How to submit a request
The statute requires a written request but does not mandate a specific form. Districts may provide their own forms, so parents should contact their child's campus or special education department to ask about the process.
Klein ISD said it fired Broussard and notified the student's family after learning of the allegation. Broussard's first court appearance was scheduled for Friday, Aug. 21, in Harris County's 180th District Court.
