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Plans to merge blind & deaf schools questioned - WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |
Louisiana legislators largely endorse the idea of merging blind students with deaf students onto one campus because they say it could save significant money and prevent program cuts, but some legislators are concerned about what it will mean for student safety.
"I'm concerned about that...very concerned," said state Representative Pat Smith, D-Baton Rouge. Smith is a former East Baton Rouge School Board member. Both the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired and the School for the Deaf are in her district. Smith likes the idea of combining campuses, but only if the School for the Deaf has transformed its security and its policies. "I'm really hoping they've thought this out," she said.
There have been numerous allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct among students and administrators in recent months associated with the school. State Superintendent Paul Pastorek said in October of last year he wants to train more staff to help deal with any future situations. "Probably the biggest issue for me is the lack of proficiency in American sign language," Pastorek said in an interview in October.
In a budget committee hearing, legislators say Pastorek has still not done enough. "The staff and everyone at the school was to have the ability to communicate with students and seems to me you've not done that," said Smith. "We still are working on training people to be fully certified in sign language," Pastorek replied. He says he feels enough progress has been made to ensure someone nearby will be able to communicate with students in emergencies. He says a fixed time-keeping system, new alarm system, and monitoring system make the Louisiana School for the Deaf ready to welcome visually impaired students.
"We believe the risks are manageable and have security systems in place to be able to maintain the safety and security of kids," said Pastorek. Representative Smith says she is not convinced. She's also expressed concern that there is no current director for the deaf school. Smith says the acting leader, Kevin Lemoine, does not know sign language and was recently fired as Zachary High School's principal. "Having a director is important because that's the leader of the school. No different than any other school," she said.
Pastorek says Lemoine is learning sign language. He also says it could take another year to find the right permanent director for the deaf school.
Louisiana legislators largely endorse the idea of merging blind students with deaf students onto one campus because they say it could save significant money and prevent program cuts, but some legislators are concerned about what it will mean for student safety.
"I'm concerned about that...very concerned," said state Representative Pat Smith, D-Baton Rouge. Smith is a former East Baton Rouge School Board member. Both the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired and the School for the Deaf are in her district. Smith likes the idea of combining campuses, but only if the School for the Deaf has transformed its security and its policies. "I'm really hoping they've thought this out," she said.
There have been numerous allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct among students and administrators in recent months associated with the school. State Superintendent Paul Pastorek said in October of last year he wants to train more staff to help deal with any future situations. "Probably the biggest issue for me is the lack of proficiency in American sign language," Pastorek said in an interview in October.
In a budget committee hearing, legislators say Pastorek has still not done enough. "The staff and everyone at the school was to have the ability to communicate with students and seems to me you've not done that," said Smith. "We still are working on training people to be fully certified in sign language," Pastorek replied. He says he feels enough progress has been made to ensure someone nearby will be able to communicate with students in emergencies. He says a fixed time-keeping system, new alarm system, and monitoring system make the Louisiana School for the Deaf ready to welcome visually impaired students.
"We believe the risks are manageable and have security systems in place to be able to maintain the safety and security of kids," said Pastorek. Representative Smith says she is not convinced. She's also expressed concern that there is no current director for the deaf school. Smith says the acting leader, Kevin Lemoine, does not know sign language and was recently fired as Zachary High School's principal. "Having a director is important because that's the leader of the school. No different than any other school," she said.
Pastorek says Lemoine is learning sign language. He also says it could take another year to find the right permanent director for the deaf school.