Faculty on Notice

The entire faculty of the Rhode Island School for the Deaf will be laid off at the end of the school year if they do not meet new requirements for teaching at the facility. The staff of 35 teachers have just been notified they must meet the professional qualifications outlined in the federal No Child Left Behind Act that insists teachers must have expertise in the content areas in which they teach. Until now, the school has only required certification related to teaching the deaf and hard of hearing.