W.H. v. Fort Bend ISD — 5th Cir. (Sep 2, 2026)
The Fifth Circuit considers whether student W.H. should take English and math in general classrooms or separate resource classes. In Texas, the parent-and-school team that develops the student's individualized education program and decides placement is called an ARD committee—short for Admission, Review, and Dismissal. A hearing officer approved a resource class for math but not English; the district court approved both. Mark S. Whitburn of Whitburn & Pevsner represents W.H. He will seek reversal, relying on W.H.'s progress and IDEA's preference for education alongside nondisabled students.
W.H. v. Fort Bend ISD (No. 25-20361) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argued September 2, 2026.
Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/OralArgRecordings/25/25-20361_09-02-2026.mp3
Argument record — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/oral-argument-recordings?docket=25-20361
Argument calendar — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/court-calendars/sitting?d=2026-09-02
Opinion search — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions?docket=25-20361
Memorandum and order — U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txsd-4_24-cv-01515/pdf/USCOURTS-txsd-4_24-cv-01515-0.pdf
Special-education hearing decision — Texas Education Agency:https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/government-relations-and-legal/special-ed-due-process-hearings-2024/353-se-0823-fortbendisd.pdf
20 U.S.C. § 1412 — Office of the Law Revision Counsel:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=%28title%3A20+section%3A1412+edition%3Aprelim%29
ARD committee guide — Texas Education Agency:https://spedsupport.tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/ard-101-introduction-slide-deck.pdf
H.W. v. Comal Independent School District — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/21/21-50838-CV0.pdf
E.R. v. Spring Branch Independent School District — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/17/17-20494-CV0.pdf
Mark Whitburn — Whitburn & Pevsner:https://www.whitburnpevsner.com/mark-whitburn
Meredith Prykryl Walker — State Bar of Texas:https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?ContactID=293641&Section=Find_A_Lawyer&template=%2FCustomsource%2FMemberDirectory%2FMemberDirectoryDetail.cfm
Meredith Prykryl Walker — Walsh Gallegos:https://walshgallegos.com/usrfiles/files/Attorney%20Bios/2026%20Atty%20Bios/Meredith_Prykryl_Walker_2026.pdf
- 0:00Introduction
- 17:16Meredith Walker — Fort Bend ISD