“Our district has experienced a consistent decline in enrollment for more than a decade, and tonight’s recommendations will make the necessary adjustments to create better learning and extracurricular opportunities in improved facilities with our highly qualified staff and equitable programming to meet the diverse needs and interests of our students,” said Plano ISD Board President Nancy Humphrey in a statement on Tuesday.
Perhaps the most notable element of this round of school closures is that the Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (RDSPD) at Davis will be moved to another school. The RDSPD has been housed at Davis Elementary since 1992. The RDSPD is now scheduled to relocate to Harrington Elementary School, nearly 2 miles away from Davis, but the mere physical distance isn't what parents opposed to the switch are most worried about.
“I think it's devastating for the people who are served by the special program that's there. People move to Plano specifically for that purpose,” Armstrong Middle School parent Anna Buckhaller said at the meeting.
An advisory committee that proposed the long range facility plan recommended the closure of four schools on May 21. Our request for an interview before last night's vote was declined, but Plano ISD spokesperson Lesley Range-Stanton provided a statement to the Observer, citing “declining enrollment, aging infrastructure, and the district’s commitment to maximizing opportunities for students” as key reasons the closures could be approved.
Parents, staff and members of the community had an opportunity to voice their concerns to PISD board members prior to the closed session. But as the evening went on, passion turned into frustration as attendees slowly trickled out of the meeting before the vote was announced.
A point made by some speakers was about the collective awareness of deaf and hard of hearing children that is woven into the neighborhood. A sign cautions drivers about deaf children crossing streets in the neighborhood, and the layout of the streets in the neighborhood makes parents feel safe letting their deaf children walk to and from school.
“You don't have the same people looking out for the kids the way that the current neighborhood does.” Buckhaller said.
After news that Davis Elementary might close broke May 21, parents and RDSPD alumni began to speak out against the proposed change.
“I think it's devastating for the people who are served by the special program that's there. People move to Plano specifically for that purpose.” – Anna Buckhaller, Plano ISD parent
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A Facebook group called “Save Davis Elementary” has kept parents informed, while a Change.org petition started by Davis parent Erica Salcido has gathered over 1,000 signatures.
“I was shocked,” Salcido wrote in an email to the Observer. “I knew Plano ISD would be considering the closure of some campuses, but never received any information that led up to the decision until they presented it at their board meeting on May 21st.”
Salcido’s daughter is deaf and will be in the fourth grade this fall after starting an early childhood program at Davis Elementary at the age of 3. In addition to creating the petition and speaking to Plano ISD school board members, Salcido says she has filed a civil rights complaint with the Department of Justice over the lack of accessible communication during the May 21 board meeting and because of the board's decisions that affect deaf and hard-of-hearing students without any deaf members on the long range facility planning committee.
She also reached out to the Texas School for the Deaf’s statewide outreach program and Deaf Network of Texas for support throughout the process.
“This stream was inaccessible to our deaf staff and students because no interpreter or live captions were provided.” Salicido wrote.
The RDSPD at Davis Elementary is known for its unique environment and culture that brings together deaf, hard of hearing and hearing students in classrooms. Most important, the majority of staff and itinerant teachers at Davis specialize in deaf education.
Katrina Christensen is a mother of four with two deaf sons who moved her family from Monterey, California, to Prosper so her sons could attend Davis Elementary. At his school in Monterey, her oldest son, Jack, who is deaf and uses two cochlear implants, was not making academic progress, struggled socially, had frequent tantrums and was unhappy.
“We moved here from Monterey, California,” Christensen said. “There's nothing here for us except for this elementary school, for our children. I promise you, like we have nothing here other than this school, because that is how important it is for our family.”
Jack started going to Davis in the second grade and is set to begin the fourth grade in the fall. After starting at Davis, Jack began progressing academically and socially. For subjects he had struggled in previously, he was in smaller classrooms with other deaf and hard-of-hearing children, and for the subjects he had historically been stronger in, Jack was in regular classrooms with hearing students.
Jack also received audio verbal therapy in addition to his accommodations. An itinerant teacher attended the regular classes with him at first, then periodically checked on him once he was caught up.
“Jack changed into a different child when he started going there,” Christensen said. “From like a sad, angry kid to just beaming with love and energy and happiness and confidence. Like a total transformation. It was so beautiful to see.”
In a May Fox 4 report, the Plano ISD provided a statement shedding some light on their plans to move RDSPD.
"We would establish a committee to support a seamless transition and to unify students, staff and families in the Davis and Harrington communities," read the statement. "[Regional Day School Program for the Deaf] staff, as well as other Davis staff members, would transition to Harrington to ensure that students continue to receive the support and continuity they need."
Regardless of the district’s plans for the transition, some parents fear the learning curve of moving RDSPD from Davis to Harrington will be too great. The closure also could break up a tight-knit community that has blended deaf, hard of hearing and hearing children — one that has been cultivated and nourished for decades.
“It [the community at Davis and RDSPD] doesn't just make a difference in their education, it makes a difference in their lives in their happiness, in their competence,” Christensen said. “And how they feel about themselves and how they feel about their world, their family, their friends. It's so important.”
