Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to the board of directors for the Louisiana Special School District by the Louisiana Association of the Deaf board of directors in an effort to address growing concerns about the loss of qualified staff at the Louisiana School for the Deaf. The letter was written after repeated attempts, without success, to address the SSD board about mounting problems at the school:
As you know, the Louisiana Association of the Deaf (LAD) wrote to you on June 3, 2022, July 8, 2022, and again on August 8, 2022 concerning urgent issues affecting the continuing and successful operation of the Louisiana School for the Deaf (LSD). Each of our good faith attempts, as stakeholders, to communicate with the SSD Board was ignored. Most blatantly, our August 8, 2022 correspondence, which was sent Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested, was refused by Acting Superintendent Katherine Granier.
Since the inception of LAD almost 115 years ago by alumni of LSD, our organization has supported and advocated for the staff, students, and parents of the Louisiana School for the Deaf. Never, in those 115 years, has LAD been so disrespected by the SSD leadership by being ignored and dismissed in our attempt to address such significant issues affecting the future of the school.
We have attempted to come to you, as concerned stakeholders and advocates, to proactively discuss serious issues affecting LSD. Now, months after our first formal correspondence to you, these same issues have multiplied to the point of endangering the very existence of LSD.
We have repeatedly attempted to communicate to the Board that actions taken by Acting Superintendent Granier have subverted and ignored all recommendations made in the Louisiana Department of Education-commissioned Special School District Review. This review by the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative/Education Development Center, Inc., Perkins School for the Blind, American School for the Deaf, and the Cotting School, done at considerable taxpayer cost, stated that “For SSD and the schools to be successful, it is essential that Leaders have the appropriate levels of expertise.”
Pursuant to the SSD Report of 2018, a Strategic Plan for 2021-2024 was developed and adopted by the SSD Board. Since the appointment of Katherine Granier as Acting Superintendent of SSD, the goals of the Strategic Plan, as well as the recommendations of the 2018 Report, have been abandoned.
The first guiding principle of the Plan was to implement a streamlined organizational structure with system-wide policies and collaborative decision-making. Instead, Ms. Granier immediately began implementing wide-ranging changes without the input of SSD administrators and staff, including the hiring of unqualified administrators such as the new Chief Academic Officer, Venesa Harris-Edwards, who lacks any certification in deaf education of education of the blind/visually impaired, and the hiring of her child’s former Gifted Teacher who lacks any special education certification or experience, as an Instructional Specialist, without regard for their lack of experience and certifications, and without input of SSD administrators and staff.
The next guiding principle of the Plan is to cultivate an organizational culture that is engaging, collaborative, and inclusive, and built on open communication and transparency. Instead, SSD staff have been left out of all decision-making. Instead of working in an inclusive environment, numerous staff have reported they live in fear of unjust harassment and discipline and are treated rudely by Ms. Granier and the new CAO. Ms. Granier’s and Ms. Harris-Edwards’s total disregard for open communication are exemplified by Ms. Harris-Edwards and the new Instructional Strategist, Ms. Perpetra Frazier, visiting classrooms and staff without bringing interpreters with them, thus rendering any authentic communication between them, staff, and students impossible, and in possible violation of the ADA.
The Strategic Plan discusses an integrated talent management approach to attract, develop, and retain a team of high-performing employees. Instead, school administrators are left out of all hiring decisions, uncertified/unqualified people are hired, and multiple staff have resigned or been fired since Ms. Granier’s tenure as Acting Superintendent began.
Since our last attempted communication with the Board, staff have been prevented from performing their job duties as delineated in their job descriptions. Students continue to not receive the Speech/Language Therapy services mandated in their Individual Education Plans (IEPs). Federal IDEA funds continue to remain unexpended by both SSD and LSD/LSVI.
Now, in the most egregious action to date, Dr. Heather Laine has been terminated for charges that we believe will lose on the merits if taken to a court of law. The aforementioned 2018 Report stressed the need for qualified leaders, with the educational credentials, expertise, experience, and cultural competency to direct the growth and progress of the SSD schools. Dr. Laine exemplifies those qualities and credentials. She has the support of the LSD staff and students, and her integrity and performance have never been called into question prior to Ms. Granier’s appointment as Acting Superintendent. The termination of such a well-respected, and supported, deaf leader is the complete antithesis of what was recommended in the 2018 Report.
The actions of Ms. Granier, especially towards faculty and staff who are deaf, gives the appearance that she is attacking in a systematic way all who use ASL. Ms. Granier and her CAO have made statements in meetings and in classrooms that students WILL be taught to talk—period. Their apparent distain for ASL violates the rights of students and their parents, who have chosen LSD to provide a unique, language-rich environment. Her blanket attempt to prioritize spoken English, while encouraging the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants, may well also be in violation of students’ IEPs and the provisions of the ADA.
For the reasons described above, as well as those communicated in previous correspondence to the SSD Board, LAD formally requests that the following actions be considered at the November 1, 2022 SSD Board Meeting, and that the public be allowed to speak in support of these demands:
1. We are requesting the immediate removal of Ms. Granier and Ms. Harris-Edwards from their current positions. Neither administrator possesses academic certifications in Deaf Education or Education of the Blind/Visually Impaired; neither person possesses Ed Leadership certifications required for all administrative positions in public school districts. Furthermore, neither administrator is capable of communicating using ASL, and refuse to use interpreters in their campus visits to LSD. The majority of LSD staff have no confidence in either Ms. Granier or Ms. Harris-Edwards, as they feel bullied and disrespected by them, as well as living in constant fear of undeserved discipline and/or termination. We believe the recent survey, if provided to all staff members, will confirm these assertions.
2. The history of SSD reflects the need for leadership that possesses a deep knowledge of the low incidence, unique disabilities represented in each of the three SSD programs. Because such experience, expertise, academic certification, and cultural competency in the disabilities represented in the three SSD programs are critical to the success of the schools, we are supporting a Tripartite Superintendency: that the Directors of each of the three SSD schools, together, fill this role. This innovation will not only save SSD millions of dollars in a Superintendent’s salary and benefits going forward, but most importantly, will provide for the unique leadership requirements needed to best serve SSD’s unique populations. Even if this model is not adopted permanently, it is imperative that it be implemented immediately during the pendency of the superintendent search.
3. We are asking for the immediate reversal of the termination of Dr. Heather Laine, her reinstatement of Director of LSD, as well as an investigation of all other disciplinary actions taken by Ms. Granier and Ms. Harris-Edwards towards other SSD staff.
4. We are requesting that the Board assures that no retaliatory measures of any kind will be taken against any current SSD employees from any of the schools if they chose to participate, outside of work hours, in any public demonstration held to express support for Dr. Laine and the other requests listed in this memorandum.
5. We are requesting a public report on the outcome of all outstanding grievances filed against Ms. Granier and/or Ms. Harris-Edwards, including the timelines followed in the grievance process.
6. We are requesting that the SSD Board investigate and report to the public the failure to use IDEA funds allocated to both SSD and LSD/LSVI since at least 2018, along with Ms. Granier’s role as CFO in not expending such federal funds.
7. We are requesting that the SSD Board quell suspicions that the actions of Ms. Granier and Ms. Harris-Edwards have been designed to undermine the continued existence of LSD and LSVI. Their unjustified actions, especially in disciplining and terminating the most qualified staff, give the appearance of a deliberate sabotage of the schools, leaving the public to wonder if charter school investors are waiting in the wings to take over the campuses for financial gain.
Despite being ignored in our repeated good faith attempts to communicate with the Board, LAD will continue its long legacy of supporting and advocating for the staff, students, and parents of the Louisiana School for the Deaf
Sincerely,
Jimmy Challis Gore, M. Ed
President
Board of Directors
Louisiana Association of the Deaf, Inc.
Louisiana Voice 
Wow, that is so sad.