Hearing on School Closure

A hearing will be held next week about whether to close the North Carolina School for the Deaf. The Tuesday discussion at the Morganton Municipal Auditorium will take a look at whether the facility should escape state budget cuts. In June, the NC Department of Health and Human Services turned over North Carolina's three residential schools for students with visual impairments or those who are deaf/hard of hearing to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. There are plans to close one residential school and consolidate services at the remaining two residential schools. The other two schools under the axe are the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh and the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf in Wilson. Hearings are scheduled for Thursday, September 22 in Wilson and Wednesday, September 28 in Raleigh. The Department has until January 15th to decide which school to recommend for closure.