Board approves $90,000 contract with Communication Access Partners for staff deaf/hard‑of‑hearing services

The Winston‑Salem Forsyth County Schools Board of Education on July 29 approved a contract with Communication Access Partners to provide accommodations for deaf and hard‑of‑hearing staff. Board members voted unanimously to approve the agreement after a brief clarification from Interim Superintendent Cady Moore.

Why it matters: the contract supplies communication access services for district staff with hearing‑related accommodation needs. Moore said the service is a regular requirement for staff and that the item was split out from a larger special‑education contract package this year.

During the action item discussion a board member asked for clarification about "expressing the need for this particular contract and the amount of 90,000." Moore explained the contract is for deaf and hard‑of‑hearing services for staff and said that the service is usually bundled with broader special‑education contracts but was separated this year. She added, "This is for staff who require these services. ... Not for students." The board then voted and the motion was recorded as passing unanimously.

Administrative note: staff did not provide additional budget detail in the public record at the meeting on the funding source for this contract beyond the superintendent’s explanation that the line item is a standard annual contract.

Next steps: the contract will be administered by the district’s special‑education or human‑resources procurement team and implemented for the coming year. Board records show the motion to approve was made by Board Member Crowley and seconded by a board member recorded generically in the meeting transcript; the motion passed unanimously.