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Board approves Mississippi School for the Deaf and Blind expansion to serve 3-year-olds
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Summary
The board approved reconfiguring the Mississippi School for the Deaf and Blind to add three‑year‑old prekindergarten services, saying the program will provide seamless services and include low student‑to‑staff ratios and related therapies.
The Mississippi Board of Education approved a request to reconfigure the Mississippi School for the Deaf and Blind (MSDB) from serving pre‑K age 4 through grade 12 to serving pre‑K age 3 through grade 12, enabling the school to accept eligible three‑year‑old children beginning in the 2025–26 school year.
Presenting the request, a department official said the expanded program will include trained preschool teachers and assistants and provide related special services such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and orientation and mobility training. The local individualized education program (IEP) committee would determine eligibility and placements, and all participating students would have IEPs.
Department staff described plans to keep class sizes small, targeting a 5‑to‑1 student‑to‑adult ratio, and to start “small” in year one—potentially one teacher and one assistant—then grow based on demand. The presenter said the MSDB expects to absorb much of the initial cost within existing operations but acknowledged costs will rise as enrollment increases.
Supporters told the board the expansion will reduce a service gap that can occur when children move from early intervention programs operated with the Department of Human Services into local districts before age 4; MSDB’s program aims to provide seamless services for eligible children through grade 12.
The board moved, seconded and approved the reconfiguration request; staff said the program would begin in the 2025–26 school year and the district will monitor enrollment and staffing needs.
