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Deaf community and staff warn cuts to ASL‑fluent counseling, intervention roles would harm deaf students
Summary
Multiple deaf professionals, interpreters, parents and school staff urged the board not to cut the Alaska State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AKSD) counselor and intervention positions. Witnesses said direct ASL access is essential for crisis response, mental‑health support and long‑term language development.
Educators, interpreters, parents and students urged the Anchorage School Board not to eliminate key positions at the Alaska State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AKSD), saying ASL‑fluent counselors and intervention staff provide critical, immediate and culturally appropriate services that cannot be replaced by external interpreters.
Tim Pack, an educational interpreter, told the board: "Cutting DHH support staff that directly serve students literally means cutting off our students from accessing their legal right to ASD's education and mental health resources." AKSD counselor…
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