During a Plano ISD Board meeting on May 21, 2024, the committee comprising Plano ISD parents, teachers, administrators and community members announced the recommended closure of Davis Elementary, Forman Elementary, Armstrong Middle and Carpenter Middle Schools.
One parent from Davis Elementary is attempting to stop the closure by creating a petition. In just over a week, Erica Salcido has received over 750 signatures.
Update 6/3/24 8 a.m. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Plano ISD Board presented the closure recommendation. It has since been updated to better reflect the committee's recommendation.
In the petition, Salcido emphasized the unique significance of Davis Elementary School for both mixed-hearing and deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. It not only serves as the local elementary school but also operates as the regional day school program for the deaf, catering to early childhood and elementary students.
"I am signing this petition in support of the regional day school program for the Deaf,” Karen Snapp, a former teacher, said in the petition. “As a previous teacher, I placed students at Davis who thrived from both the teachers and the friendships made. I believe that moving this program is not in the best interest of the students. Please reconsider."
The petition argues that closing Davis Elementary would have a severe negative impact on DHH students. It contends that it would disrupt the close-knit community they have built, forcing them into unfamiliar environments where teachers and staff lack the expertise to educate Deaf children effectively. Salcido believes this abrupt change would burden these students and impede their educational progress.
“My daughter is hard of hearing and went to Davis Elementary from Kindergarten through 5th grade. It was there she learned she was not alone and she fit in,” another parent wrote on the petition. “She learned how to advocate for herself; how to be friends with the hearing and the Deaf students. The school itself has etched its way into her memory as the 'best place on earth'. Please don't take those memories and feelings away. Please allow Davis to remain open so in the years to come my daughter has the ability to return and say thank you."
According to the board, the closures would save Plano ISD an estimated $5.2 million annually. If the board approves the recommendations, students at several schools will be rezoned. Additionally, transportation routes would need to be redrawn.
Several factors are contributing to the potential closures, primarily the cost of living in Plano. According to the district, the average home price in Plano is $584,000. Additionally, declining birth rates in Plano have resulted in smaller kindergarten classes compared to graduating classes.
A vote on the plan is expected in June. If approved, the changes would take effect in the 2025-2026 school year.
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