The Plano ISD school board on Monday ratified a recommendation to close four schools in the district due to declining enrollment and a budget shortfall.
One of the four is Davis Elementary, which hosts the Regional Day School Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for Plano ISD and more than a dozen other school districts.
Parents argued to trustuees that a culture to serve deaf children is not created at a snap of the fingers.
"Culture and community is not built overnight. It is not created after a year or even three-year transition," parent Andrea Stump said. "It is created over decades, consistent staff in a specific environment that has been cultivated by that staff and the parents. Based on our petition, over 1,000 people agreed that Davis is worth keeping open, is worth saving."
Other parents were not pleased with the communicatin during the closure process.
"The lack of transparency and disregard for our community's needs is deeply disheartening," parent Tisha Amos said. "PISD should have directly emailed all parents clearly stating the committee's intentions and the potential closures of schools. Unfortunately, many parents did not received the two urgent emails sent on May 21 and June 6 in regards to the potential closure of their schools. I was one that did not receive those emails."
However, in its final vote the school board kept Davis on its closure list along with Forman Elementary School, Armstrong Middle School, and Carpenter Elementary School. The four campuses will remain open through the 2024-25 school year.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news
Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube