Parents Want Principal Who Can Sign
Several parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing children who attend Lafayette Elementary School asked San Diego city schools trustees Tuesday to require that a new principal know sign language in order to communicate better with the students.
About 140 of Lafayette’s 634 students are deaf or hearing-impaired.
The school’s principal died this year, and the process of picking a replacement is under way.
The school district, in soliciting applicants from among district employees, has said that fluency in American Sign Language for the deaf would be preferred but not required.
The parents who spoke Tuesday said that fluency would help improve both the social and academic performance of their children. A principal without signing ability is unable to communicate effectively in disciplining students or in evaluating the special teachers for the deaf, they said.
Supt. Tom Payzant, along with the board, said that the existing selection process will continue but indicated that the board may determine none of the present applicants is qualified and decide to solicit from outside the district. There are only two district employees knowledgeable in sign language who would be eligible to apply for the Lafayette principal’s post.
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