Chicago Public Schools is restructuring its department for students with disabilities and planning to reassign 65 central office positions, according to an internal email obtained by Chalkbeat.

The changes, outlined in an email from Joshua Long, the chief of the Office for Students with Disabilities, also include the elimination of the Department of Procedures and Standards and the Department of Instructional Support, which focused on complying with federal and local policies and instructional support for schools, and the creation of a new department called Academic Access. Among the roles being phased out during the restructure, two — district representative and special education administrator — will be replaced with a special education coordinator to work directly with schools.

A CPS spokesperson said in a statement that there will be “no net loss of full-time positions” as roles are redefined. Employees impacted by the restructuring were able to reapply for the new role; out of those who applied, about 85% were hired, the spokesperson said. The district is still reviewing applicants.

“This shift is not motivated by budgetary concerns or cost-cutting,” the spokesperson said in the statement. “Instead, it is a strategic, values-driven decision grounded in research, best practices, and a belief in the limitless potential of every student.”

Last school year, CPS served nearly 54,000 students with disabilities, who made up 16.4% of the district’s student body. Their share of the population has grown by about three percentage points in the past decade.

The latest departmental changes, coupled with other staffing changes related to special education, including reductions and reassignments impacting special education classroom assistants who work directly with students, are raising some red flags for special education advocates. Of particular concern is the timing of the changes, which come less than three weeks before the start of school on Aug. 18.

Frank Lally, education policy analyst at Access Living, an advocacy organization for people with disabilities based in Chicago, questioned whether the new positions would be fully staffed by the start of the school year.

Read the full article about restructuring special education by Becky Vevea and Samantha Smylie at Chalkbeat.