More than 70 speakers at the Oct. 9 Houston Independent School District board meeting urged trustees to change district curriculum choices, reverse a rise in uncertified teacher hires and restore services they said have been removed from campuses.

Parents, students and educators described classroom instruction as heavily scripted and focused on test preparation, said it had replaced local teacher judgment, and blamed that shift for staff departures and declining trust in some schools.

The concerns came during the meeting’s public-comment period, which the board chair said included 71 registered speakers limited to one minute each under board policy. Student speakers described factual errors and curriculum restrictions; parents and several former teachers described high turnover, reduced health and counseling services, and cuts to library staff and materials.

Student speakers raised specific classroom grievances. Nora Esinger, an eighth grader, criticized a social studies assignment she said incorrectly credited the Marquis de Lafayette with training Continental troops at Valley Forge instead of Baron von Steuben: “This is intentionally false information,” she said. Ninth-grader Eliana Gottlieb said many parents received incorrect emails telling them their children had failed STAAR tests, and that district corrections were also wrong. “No explanation, no apology, no correction,” she told the board.

Parents and current or former teachers said staffing and services have been disrupted by recent district changes. Trey Comstock, a parent and former special-education teacher, reported significant turnover at his child’s campus and said the district’s approach had removed experienced staff: “This change is excessive and hurting our children,” he said. Multiple speakers from Durham Elementary said the campus lost teachers and was reduced to a part-time nurse; a Durham parent said the library was dismantled to create a “team center.”

Several commenters said uncertified teachers were increasingly being hired. A student speaker summarized district data cited by multiple speakers: uncertified teachers rose from roughly 12% to nearly 25% in a year. Parents warned that rapid replacement of experienced teachers harms instruction and community trust.

Parents of students with special needs raised separate concerns. Dr. Audrey Nath, a pediatric neurologist and parent, said she had a positive recent IEP meeting for her child but expressed alarm about reports that the district would stop paying interpreter services at IEP meetings: “I hope the board will reconsider this change in policy and continue to fund interpretation services at IEP meetings that are required by federal law,” she said.

Speakers also criticized what they described as centralization of curriculum materials and control over instructional content. Several said school-specific history and local context had been sidelined. Some called for reinstating certified librarians and for more transparent communication from district leadership.

The board did not respond to all speakers’ specific requests during the public-comment period. Several speakers said they had filed complaints with the Texas Education Agency or with district offices and urged trustees to take immediate action.

The public-comment block was followed by the board’s reports and presentations; many of the subjects raised during public comment — staffing, curriculum and special education services — were later addressed in the superintendent’s and staff reports.

Ending: The public-comment segment ended after roughly 71 one-minute remarks. Board members then moved into reports and regular business on the agenda.