Seattle Public Schools, faced with a budget crisis, are weighing closing schools including the district’s only K-8 deaf program.
Supposedly the public has an opportunity to respond to such proposals. But at a school board meeting on September 18, 2024, that was heavily attended by deaf families, there was no sign language interpreter.
The families had requested one, but the school board said one wasn’t available for the meeting (read story here).
This isn’t a tiny school district in a remote community. More than 4 million people live in the Seattle metropolitan area. Some of them are qualified ASL interpreters.
Board members knew they would be discussing the deaf program, that deaf parents and students likely would show up, and could anticipate the need. The district even teaches ASL (see link here). They couldn’t arrange an interpreter for the board meeting? Really?