A Call to Arms - Support USDB Children!!!

July 1, 2008

As concerned parents of children with sensory impairments we are sending out a call-to-arms. Please take a few moments to review the ten talking points at the end of this email. They will define the present situation. And now we ask the following:

Please join us on the south steps at the Utah State Capitol building Tuesday, July 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Please bring your student if you feel they are old enough to attend. Please bring signs (suggested captions are below), but please do not attach those signs to pickets, sticks or poles. Please review the talking points below so that we can all be on the same page. This is one battle for funds to renovate facilities for this coming year in what is indeed a greater war. Ultimately USDB needs to build facilities in Salt Lake and Orem for our kids. Ultimately there needs to be a paradigm shift among legislators and DFCM as regards our children and their school.

We understand not every parent and student will be able to attend, but we hope for just as many as possible. Whether or not you attend the demonstration, please review the talking points and email your own legislator as well as the following legislators who can choose to play a strong role in correcting this situation: Sen. Curtis Bramble, Rep. Gregory Hughes, Sen. Howard Stephenson, Sen. Margaret Dayton, Sen. Lyle Hillyard, Sen. Patricia Jones, Sen. Mark Madsen. Sen. Ross Romero, Sen. Karen Mayne, Rep. Sylvia Anderson, Rep. Brad Dee, Rep Craig Frank, Rep. James Gowans, Rep. Kory Holdaway, Rep. Brad Last, Rep. Rebecca Lockhart, Rep. Ronda Menlove, Rep. Michael Morley, Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, Rep. LaWanna Shurtliff, Rep. Kenneth Sumsion, Rep. Stephen Urquhart, Rep. Mike Wheatley.

Please title any email "USDB Classroom Emergency" and thank the Representative or Senator for the work they do. Make your comments short, polite, and to the point. If you are a constituent of any of these individuals, please title your email "Constituent Concern". Additionally, sending an individual email rather than a mass email is better received. All email addresses and phone numbers can be found at:

http://www.utahsenate.org/perl/roster2007.pl for Senators or http://www.le.state.ut.us/house/members2005/membertable1add.asp for Representatives.

It is time that the State of Utah stop marginalizing our children. Whether you are the parent of a deaf or hard of hearing child, a blind or visually impaired child, or a deaf/blind child, we need your support. Our children are all students of USDB. This isn't about programs or disciplines. We must advocate for the education and educational environment our children deserve.

Sincerely,

Gwyneth Kenner
Parent

Talking Points:

1. USDB is a statewide school serving over 2000 students throughout Utah, 410 of whom are served in self-contained classrooms by teachers specifically trained to work with deaf/hard of hearing, blind/visually impaired and deaf-blind children.

2. Legislature has turned down USDB permanent building requests for 10 years.

3. In the legislative session of '07 USDB was given a used five story office building to house our children and $500,000 for renovations with the assurance it was this or nothing. This was in place of approving a request for an actual school building.

4. USDB made a good faith effort to make do with the scraps that were thrown their way only to learn that a) renovations and bringing the building up to code for a school would cost 1.4 million for renovations to the first floor alone, and b) a school cannot be more than three stories. So, the building and the funds were taken away and not replaced.

5. The building which housed USDB's newly expanded ASL/English Bilingual students was due to be demolished this year leaving the school with nowhere to house those 72 day school students grades pre-k through 9th grade.

6. DFCM offered USDB an actual school building in the Salt Lake City school district. It turned out the building was riddled with asbestos and so far from code it would take over 1.5 million to renovate and then another $660,000/yr to lease. DFCM provided a mere $236,000 in one time lease moneys. The rest was to come from cuts in direct services to students.

7. The meetings and negotiations related to finding a building for USDB students have intentionally taken place without the presence of USDB administration being invited or allowed.

8. Leaving USDB again without a home for the children, DFCM delayed and delayed and finally gave up one more office building inappropriate for student use. Again trying to make do and without further recourse as the '08-'09 school year looms, USDB will house these students in another dilapidated old school building on Connor St in Holladay, where the preschool for the Blind and a number of related services staff are presently housed, and move related services and administrators to the office building. Even so, the school on Connor St lacks sufficient space, is extremely run down, and has only one year left on the lease. Additionally, the legislature has allocated only $263,000 of one time lease money that can be used to retrofit and upgrade both buildings. After the Conner St lease expires in Spring 2009, where will DFCM shove this group of children next?

9. DFCM has successfully marginalized school children whose sensory impairments appear to make them less worthy citizens than other "normal" school children who have buildings and equipment and green space and mascots and identity. Our children have been relocated from facility to facility, in some cases annually, in order to sweep them under the rug and DFCM is held accountable to nobody!

10. The State of Utah does not care about the education of the blind and deaf children whose parents live, pay taxes and vote within its borders. Or at least it would seem so from the treatment of DFCM. When will all children matter in Utah? I guess No Child Left Behind only means test scores. When will legislative leadership step up and make this a priority so that we can have the funds to build, or so that DFCM will get us an educational facility or contract with a local school district who understands our needs?



Suggestions for sign captions:

"Every Child is of Worth!"

"Crumbling Classrooms are Not Acceptable!"

"DFCM = Deny Funding/Children Marginalized"

"Our Children are Citizens, Too!"

"No Child Left Behind…Except Ours!"

"DFCM Must Be Accountable!"

"Extreme Makeover for USDB Kids!"

"DFCM Do Your Job!"

"See Us! Hear Us! USDB Kids!"

"School Building NOW!"