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Public testimony presses district on community engagement failures and Deaf/Hard‑of‑Hearing accessibility; staff pledges changes
Summary
Public commenters on May 14 pressed Seattle Public Schools to fix repeated failures in community engagement and in providing access for Deaf and Hard‑of‑Hearing families, demanding certified interpreters, ADA compliance and a permanent DHH task force.
Hundreds of minutes of public testimony on May 14 focused on community engagement and access for Deaf and Hard‑of‑Hearing (DHH) students and families. Several commenters described repeated failures to provide interpretation at engagement events and asked for sustained structural changes rather than apologies. Speakers urged immediate remedies — certified interpreters at meetings, accessible captioning and larger screens for remote caption feeds — and longer‑term steps such as an ADA coordinator, a DHH task force and an anti‑ableism initiative.
What staff said: Chief Operating Officer Fred Podesta and assistant staff said the district apologized for recent failures to provide American Sign Language interpretation at an engagement event and at a previous board meeting. Doctor Torres Morales and other staff said they are working to correct enrollment‑coding barriers that prevented CODA (children of deaf adults) from being recognized in placement systems and that they will allow CODA students to apply to TOPS while the technical changes are made. The district also said it would require ASL interpreters at every regular board meeting, public full‑board events and engagement sessions going forward.
Community requests and proposed fixes: Testimony included two written statements read into the record by advocates. Laura Grama and Bill Harkness (Boeing engineering accessibility leader) urged a permanent, community‑informed DHH task force, accessible systems that do not require repeated requests for access and training for administrators on ADA and Section 504 requirements. Several speakers sought an appointed ADA coordinator, consistent certified interpreters for IEP meetings and accessible emergency notification systems for deaf or blind families.
Board and staff response: Several board members, including Director Mizrahi and Director Rankin, pressed staff for specifics. Doctor Torres Morales said the district will (1) allow CODA placements at TOPS while enrollment coding is updated, (2) make ASL a more prominent option on family surveys and (3) work with technology services to create a CODA student code. Chief Redmond said staff will require that board action materials include evidence of engagement plans when relevant and that the district will increase training for school leaders on community engagement practices.
Ending: Community members said they will watch for durable, public changes rather than repeated apologies. Staff committed to specific short‑term changes (ASL provision at regular board events; CODA placement steps) and to follow‑up work to develop system‑wide processes for ADA accommodations and inclusive engagement.
