Report finds systemic problems at N.C. school for deaf

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Report finds systemic problems at N.C. school for deaf :: WRAL.com

Born deaf, Jan Withers fully understands the challenges facing someone who doesn't communicate with their vocal chords.

"Challenges tend to be people who are not deaf who don't necessarily understand how a deaf person can function," she said.

As director of the North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Withers says she was stunned by a two-year report released in July that detailed allegations of abuse and neglect at the North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton.

"I was horrified and appalled," she says.

Issued by Disability Rights North Carolina, the report listed several cases of excessive abuse, including one in which a student's arms and hands were restrained while the student was held face-down.

Withers says that's comparable to putting tape on the mouth of a child who can hear and putting a bag over his or her head because hearing-impaired students use their hands to communicate.

Health and Human Services Secretary Lanier Cansler said the school's director, Janet McDaniel, was dismissed and that other changes are likely as a result of the findings of an investigation into the policies, procedures and practices of the school.

The eight-page report released Monday found systemic problems and identified a hostile work environment, inconsistent policies and procedures and a lack of training. It described an environment of intimidation, retaliation and favoritism.

"It was very revealing, I think, surprising (that) the issues had gone on as long as they had," Cansler said. "I do feel good about the report."

The state report offered a series of six recommendations to restore the school's effectiveness and performance. They include adequately addressing the needs and requirements of the student population, more familial involvement, more staff training and better coordination with other school resources.

Vicki Smith, executive director of Disability Rights North Carolina, said she would have liked to have seen more specifics about how the state plans to change the school's culture.

She said she is concerned that current budget cuts will prevent any true change in the school

Meanwhile, Withers, who was not involved in the report or the initial investigation that led to it, says she is supportive and satisfied with the department's new direction.

 

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Advocates disappointed by NC School for Deaf probe

The Daily Reflector

An advocacy group that found allegations of abuse and neglect at the North Carolina School for the Deaf said Tuesday that it was disappointed by a state investigation into the matter.

Department of Health and Human Services officials said they did not conclude whether the claims were true and instead focused on "systemic" problems at the Morganton facility. The school's director was fired in August because officials felt that the abuse and neglect issues were not being addressed in a timely manner.

"That's about as far as we went related to that," said Maria Spaulding, a deputy secretary at DHHS who led the investigation. "There were no other actions taken for other staff."

The advocacy group Disability Rights North Carolina highlighted in July a handful of alleged abuse cases, including one student who reported that a teacher injured her and damaged her personal property and that she was placed in a face-down restraint position, preventing her from using her hands to communicate through sign language. A student also reported that a teacher slapped and injured her, but that academic staff failed to investigate what happened.

Disability Rights executive director Vicki Smith said she hoped investigators would closely look at the accusations.

"I don't know how they could investigate the system and ignore the individual claims," she said. "I would have liked to see more specificity about how they're going to change the culture at that school."

Smith said she was disturbed that the staff allegedly involved in the incidents were still working at the site.

DHHS officials had previously said the investigation would look at the abuse and neglect allegations. Health and Human Services Secretary Lanier Cansler said in July that the findings were "significant enough to warrant a full investigation into the actions of the school's top administrator and staff." He said some staff might not have acted in the best interests of the children.

The state report issued this week found a lack of fairness in the treatment of both staff and students, a lack of consistency in implementing policy and a hostile work environment. The report recommended various steps, including improved training and communication among staff.

"Most of our investigation looked at systems issues," she said