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Committee approves unification of Arkansas School for the Deaf and School for the Blind; sponsors cite improved services and new campus plans
Summary
Lawmakers voted to pass HB 1810 as amended to unify the state schools for the deaf and the blind under a single board and superintendent, supporters said the change will streamline services for students with combined or overlapping needs and better use resources for a planned new campus.
Representative Joey Carr presented HB 1810 as amended to the House Education Committee, proposing the unification of the Arkansas School for the Deaf and the Arkansas School for the Blind under a single board of directors and administrative structure.
"Currently, they're 2 separate entities and 1 negative result of this is we have several students that are blind and deaf and they are not receiving the complete support," Carr said, adding the change would create a single board with parental advocates for blind and deaf students and centralize administrative functions.
Nicole Walsh, superintendent of the Arkansas School for the Deaf, told…
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