Pocono News Section

State Lays Out Plans for SSSD

State Lays Out Plans for SSSD - Friday, May 8, 2009 at 5:26PM EST

Reported by: Kyla Campbell
Friday, May 8, 2009 @ 05:26pm EST

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- The upcoming 2009-2010 school year is the last for Scranton State School for the Deaf high school students in Scranton. Starting in 2010, 9th through 12th graders will have to go to school in Pittsburgh and live there Monday through Friday.

Kayla Miller is a third generation student at SSSD and she's upset she'll graduate from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD), a private school that's taking over SSSD July 1st.

"This has impacted me greatly," said Miller through an interpretor. "I only have three years until I graduate, and my goal was to graduate from here."

Based on the Department of Education's three-year transition plan, starting in 2010, every high school student will have to live on-campus in Pittsburgh during the week or go to mainstream public schools.

"A lot of kids who end up in a mainstream program, really that impacts their future, and they don't often succeed," said Miller, who adds she'll be separated from her 11-year-old sister, Kai. "I don't want to let that happen."

Gary Olson is an advocate for the deaf and helped keep other state schools open, after they were slated to close.

"They put a price tag on deaf children," said Olson. "To me, that's insane."

He says he's not giving up, and neither are SSSD employees.

"Our only hope, I think, is the parent injunction and lawsuits," said Ruth Gerrity, President of SSSD Teachers' Association. "And we need the public to keep putting pressure on the people who crafted this plan."

The state can't guarantee there will be any program in Scranton after three years, but WPSD officials say to not worry.

"Once we have the school established, we have no plans ever to leave," said Donald Rhoton, the Superintendent of WPSD.

But students like Kayla Miller would tell Governor Rendell that WPSD is not the same as SSSD.

"He's reuined our tradition, our history, our goals," said Miller. "He's ruined everything."

A couple things could halt the transition plan. Representative Kevin Murphy and nearly 90 co-sponsors introduced legislation that would keep the school under state control while a cost-study is done. Plus, an emergency injunction has been filed in federal court. Both have yet to be acted on.

Senator Bob Mellow, who initially promised to keep the school open under state control and file a lawsuit if it didn't happen, recently told Eyewitness News he didn't feel the need to propose the amendment because he feels SSSD will operate exactly the same under WPSD. As details emerged over the past few weeks, Eyewitness News contacted the senator's office requesting an interview, but we haven't heard back. He released a statement Friday in regards to the transition plans. Here are excerpts:

"Throughout this process, my priority has always been the children and finding a permanent solution to keeping this facility open. With this plan, our region's deaf and hard-of-hearing children will continue to receive a quality education right here in Scranton."

"I am satisfied that this transition implementation will take place over the next three years in a slow and deliberate process that will allow students, parents, and educators to plan ahead and adjust accordingly."

"Even if lawmakers were able to come up with enough funding to provide a temporary reprieve, there would certainly have been no guarantee that the school would survive the next time some future governor faces difficult budget problems. I simply was not willing to risk the future of these children on some band-aid reprieve."

Eyewitness News was the first to tell you many details regarding SSSD over the past month. To see more stories, search "SSSD" on pahomepage. com.