Parents sue to keep SD School for the Deaf open

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Parents sue to keep SD School for the Deaf open - KTIV NewsChannel 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The parents of 8 deaf or hearing-impaired children from South Dakota and Minnesota have filed a federal class-action lawsuit in an effort to keep the South Dakota School for the Deaf open.

Gov. Mike Rounds tried to close the Sioux Falls campus to save $2 million and shift funding to outreach programs that educate deaf and hearing-impaired students in school districts across the state.

Federal stimulus money allowed the Legislature to restore the funding for the next year while officials come up with a plan on how to improve services to the students.

The lawsuit was filed against the state and related parties, and claims the plan to close the school violates the state constitution, which mandates a public school for the deaf.
 
Good for these parents!!!!
 
If enrollment is very low then state couldn't afford to maintain the deaf school with low enrollment, for me, it should up to state or judge in matters.
 
Our Indiana Deaf School is in disarray due to cuts of funding that is causing building structures to collapse because there's no funding to repair them. Any funding they receive goes to mostly staffs and lawn maintenance.

I've been in there and saw ceilings that looks like they're ready to fall off.

It's sad really. Our local Government don't see much value in educating the deaf.

Yiz
 
The money spent to keep these archaic old campuses open would pay for a lot of TOD's in the public schools.

That is where the trend is going, and SDSD does much consulting and sending of support to the public schools.
 
yizuman said:
Our Indiana Deaf School is in disarray due to cuts of funding that is causing building structures to collapse because there's no funding to repair them. Any funding they receive goes to mostly staffs and lawn maintenance.

I've been in there and saw ceilings that looks like they're ready to fall off.

It's sad really. Our local Government don't see much value in educating the deaf.

Yiz
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Been there at ISD before, and yeah I agree.
 
yizuman said:
Our Indiana Deaf School is in disarray due to cuts of funding that is causing building structures to collapse because there's no funding to repair them. Any funding they receive goes to mostly staffs and lawn maintenance.

I've been in there and saw ceilings that looks like they're ready to fall off.

It's sad really. Our local Government don't see much value in educating the deaf.

Yiz
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My friend is a teacher there and two of her daughter go there. I will ask her about that. She is happy there and loves her job and her daughters are thriving. Interesting...
 
But... the money is STILL going to be for the deaf students..

"Gov. Mike Rounds tried to close the Sioux Falls campus to save $2 million and shift funding to outreach programs that educate deaf and hearing-impaired students in school districts across the state."

Maybe it's more cost effective this way?
 
Daredevel7 said:
But... the money is STILL going to be for the deaf students..

"Gov. Mike Rounds tried to close the Sioux Falls campus to save $2 million and shift funding to outreach programs that educate deaf and hearing-impaired students in school districts across the state."

Maybe it's more cost effective this way?
Click to expand...

It is also emotionally healthier for the children to stay in their own communities with their own families.
 
Daredevel7 said:
But... the money is STILL going to be for the deaf students..

"Gov. Mike Rounds tried to close the Sioux Falls campus to save $2 million and shift funding to outreach programs that educate deaf and hearing-impaired students in school districts across the state."

Maybe it's more cost effective this way?
Click to expand...

Save the costs on transportation, bed and board, SDSD teacher's salaries, only to parcel out the money to school districts for interpretering costs. My feeling is that the interpretering costs may be much more than what they are paying to keep SDSD open since the deaf kids are all spreaded out, thus more interpreters. Any thoughts, disagreements, or agreements on this???
 
Guess some people want to shut down deaf schools. What a shame.
 
Iam not thinking of my own needs. I am thinking of the children because deaf schools are probably the only place where most of them have full access to language and communication at all times and they will have direct communication with everyone not just the terps only.

Besides I have wrked at a public school before and it is isolating for me as well. I prefer to work someplace where I can effectively communicate with every child and every coworker. Call me a baby or whatever but after being isolated constantly growing up, it is nice not to be in that situation anymore.
 
shel90 said:
Iam not thinking of my own needs. I am thinking of the children because deaf schools are probably the only place where most of them have full access to language and communication at all times and they will have direct communication with everyone not just the terps only.

Besides I have wrked at a public school before and it is isolating for me as well. I prefer to work someplace where I can effectively communicate with every child and every coworker. Call me a baby or whatever but after being isolated constantly growing up, it is nice not to be in that situation anymore.
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I had grandparents with the phenomenon of institutionalization which is what you get with those boarding schools.

I am incredibly glad I had the opportunity to stay home and attend my local school.

So are others who I know who had the same situation.

I know you are not, but many other people are.
 
Can't make them all happy. What's the best solution? Choose the cheapest avenue that will give SOME benefit to all. And I think that's what's being done here.
 
That's fine if u feel that way.

I am entitled to feel that way about working at a deaf school and I know many people, including former students who feel blessed to attend a deaf school. I used to be happy with the idea of going to public school instead of the deaf schools until I started working at several of them.
 
I also know people who went to deaf schools who say the deaf schools suck and that I was lucky to get to attend public school.
 
Bottesini said:
I also know people who went to deaf schools who say the deaf schools suck and that I was lucky to get to attend public school.
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That is dependent on the actual programs at the schools more than the school itself. I know one Deaf school in Canada is looked down upon, because they use scribes to help students pass their English exams thus low literacy rate, while another Deaf school have high reputation because they teach BiBi.

Every school is different, so you can't paint them all with the same brush.
 
shel90 said:
Good for these parents!!!!
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I totally agree with that. I wish I had gone to a deaf school.

It saddens me when so many schools are being closed down for specialized eduction.

I hope these parents win their case.

I also think that in some cases children are better off away from their parents.
 
If the Deaf schools are going to be close down. Then I have the dread thought that every deaf child have to go through the oral-only mainstream schools just because the government are cutting down the cost of having an interpreter for the Deaf or special accommodations or just not have this special accommodations to get the deaf child a good education at all. Then we are back where we start all over again like in the early 20th Century. :ugh: Going to the Deaf school is not all that bad. Any child can choose to go to any school, if they prefer. I really don`t want all Deaf schools close at all. As for the parents of Deaf children, I am cheering them to file to sue to remain stay open at the South Dakota School for the Deaf. Good for them, right on. :D
 
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