Confirmation bias? Probably. On the other hand, being aware of such bias gives you the tools to be wary of acting upon that bias rather than objective criteria. It seems to me that you've done that.
Placement changes are always about a trade between risks and benefits. That can be moving to a new school, accelerating, or retaining a child.
I don't know what to tell you with respect to your local district. I guess my response would be based on the child in question-- how unhappy is your child? How rapidly did the school year deteriorate, and are you seeing really disturbing red flags behaviorally? If your child is exhibiting signs of serious distress, then that is your call, as a parent, to do whatever seems feasible to mitigate the problems causing that distress.
(By distress, I mean self-destructive, depressive, or destructive behaviors-- school refusal, if emphatic, would be enough.)
