Deaf community and staff warn cuts to ASL‑fluent counseling, intervention roles would harm deaf students

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 Courtney Westman, who said she has been in the position 15 years, described why direct ASL communication is necessary in crises and for suicide risk assessment: when immediate, language‑matched counseling is needed, contracting interpreters introduces delay and loss of nuance.

Why it matters: multiple witnesses explained that many deaf students experience language deprivation at home, have higher rates of victimization and mental‑health risk factors, and need staff who can communicate directly in ASL. Parents and staff warned that outsourcing or relying on contract interpreters would both delay critical services and raise costs; several speakers said recruiting qualified deaf professionals is difficult and that current AKSD staff represent rare, valuable expertise.

Voices and examples: Leah Lyons, a DHH teacher, said a deaf counselor is a role model who reduces isolation and improves outcomes. Intervention coach Byron Jensen and other deaf staff described how direct communication enables immediate de‑escalation and rapport building. Parents and allied staff said losing these positions would create serious access and safety issues for students across the district.

Board response: board members asked administration to supply additional detail on proposed cuts and on alternative ways to preserve direct ASL access. Administration said it is balancing a constrained revenue picture against the district’s legal and program obligations and that it would provide more information as the budget process continues.

Ending: the board heard consistent, detailed testimony that the counselor and intervention roles are unique and cannot be fully replaced by contracting interpretation services; witnesses urged the board to seek other reductions to preserve direct ASL services.