School for the deaf at 260 Eastern Parkway to close?

whynot_31

http://www.sfdesales.org/

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2011/03/03/2011-03-03_deaf_school_tragedy_cuts_may_force_it_to_shut_down.html

My quick read is that the state is shifting the cost of such schools to the local school districts ...which, in this case, would be NYC.

....as a result of this move, the school (and the Daily News) believes that NYC delays in payment and regulations would effectively doom (my word...) this location, perhaps resulting it being consolidated with another school for the deaf or hard of hearing elsewhere.

If this all happens, we'd end up with a vacant building and I predict we'd quickly get another school in the building.

Given the politics of the moment, I predict it would be a few charter schools.

whynot_31

Mods: please keep this thread, but delete the other two. Thanks

homeowner

Unfortunately, I believe that you are right. Its a shame, because parents of disabled kids should have the ability to determine what type of education is best for their kids and to receive that education in a public school setting. Sending a profoundly deaf child who communicates only through sign language into a classroom where neither the teachers or students are able to sign may not be the best solution for every child. Rather than recognizing this and offering alternatives the city will do what it does with special ed students and simply force families to send their children to expensive private schools instead, resulting in the families having to take on the burden of the additional costs of providing these kids with a basic education.

whynot_31

With the help of an agency like Advocates for Children, they could get a Nickerson Letter.

(it basically forces the city to pay for private schooling when the parents and lawyers can show that the city is not meeting its obligations to educate a kid with a disability)

whatchuwant

I had no idea they only have 100 students. It's a beautiful building inside- and HUGE. It kind of does seem to be a source of under-utilized space though, in light of the knowledge of how few kids there are.