Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
Hundreds turn out to support Eastern NC School for the Deaf in Wilson | NBC17.com
Over 300 people showed up in Wilson Thursday night fighting to keep the Eastern North Carolina School For the Deaf from closing.
In order to save money, the general assembly wants to shut one of three residential schools for the disabled and consolidate its students elsewhere.
It’s looking at the North Carolina School for the deaf in Morganton, the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf in Wilson or the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh.
Thursday night’s public hearing took place at Barton College in Wilson, and among those attending were scores of students from ENC School for the deaf.
Among them was 9-yr-old Sam Thorp who signed his message while the voice of an interpreter spoke to the crowd.
“I am in 4th grade and do math on a 4th grade level,” he said as the crowd cheered.
“I do reading in my courses, pass my tests, do power point research reports and play games with my friends and they can come to me,” Sam explained.
Other students tried to explain that the residential campus of ENC is a place where the hearing impaired have complete access to education, sports and extra circular activities which allow them to thrive; not struggle.
Those who support ENC open hope lawmakers were moved by the testimony of Sam and many others during the 1 ½ hour public hearing.
“This meeting had a lot of impact on what's going to happen,’ said Tilford McNeal who is the parent of two ENC students.
“This school is not going to close,’’ he predicted.
There's one more public hearing on the issue that'll take place in Raleigh on September 28th.
After that, the panel studying the closures will make a recommendation to the state board of education.
The state board will, in turn, will make its recommendation to the general assembly by mid January.
Over 300 people showed up in Wilson Thursday night fighting to keep the Eastern North Carolina School For the Deaf from closing.
In order to save money, the general assembly wants to shut one of three residential schools for the disabled and consolidate its students elsewhere.
It’s looking at the North Carolina School for the deaf in Morganton, the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf in Wilson or the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh.
Thursday night’s public hearing took place at Barton College in Wilson, and among those attending were scores of students from ENC School for the deaf.
Among them was 9-yr-old Sam Thorp who signed his message while the voice of an interpreter spoke to the crowd.
“I am in 4th grade and do math on a 4th grade level,” he said as the crowd cheered.
“I do reading in my courses, pass my tests, do power point research reports and play games with my friends and they can come to me,” Sam explained.
Other students tried to explain that the residential campus of ENC is a place where the hearing impaired have complete access to education, sports and extra circular activities which allow them to thrive; not struggle.
Those who support ENC open hope lawmakers were moved by the testimony of Sam and many others during the 1 ½ hour public hearing.
“This meeting had a lot of impact on what's going to happen,’ said Tilford McNeal who is the parent of two ENC students.
“This school is not going to close,’’ he predicted.
There's one more public hearing on the issue that'll take place in Raleigh on September 28th.
After that, the panel studying the closures will make a recommendation to the state board of education.
The state board will, in turn, will make its recommendation to the general assembly by mid January.