PIERRE — The Department of Education may start collecting more data about deaf students if HB1228 becomes law. Wednesday morning that bill was endorsed by the House Education Committee.
Currently the department keeps data on students through age 5. HB1228 would require the department to collect and track data on deaf and hard of hearing children from birth through high school.
“A large number of students are being left out of this number,” said the bill’s main sponsor, Rep. Erin Healy, D-Sioux Falls, who said the collection of data would not be a burden. “The schools know who their hearing loss kids are.”
Teresa Nold of Harrisburg said her 22-year-old son is deaf but listed as having multiple disabilities. Consequently his literacy development was not tracked.
“Doing that will help us know how our children are doing,” Nold said. “Data drives service. Data will tell us how we’re doing.”
The bill was opposed by Linda Turner of the Department of Education. Turner explained that federal rules require the state to collect data on children from birth to 5.
“There would be a significant fiscal impact,” Turner said, if HB1228 becomes law.
According to Turner, the department counts 206 students with varying degrees of hearing loss out of 22,000 students with disabilities. Advocates for the deaf and hard of hearing think there are at least 400 more students in the system that aren’t tracked.
Though the state doesn’t collect data on all the students, Turner said, “Individually, those students’ needs are being met.”
According to Nold, the Education Department is doing no more than is required.
“We’re missing a large number of those kids and we need that data,” Nold said. “They learn differently. It’s very visual.”
Rep. Rebecca Reimer, R-Chamberlain, said parents who don’t think their children are getting the right services can file a grievance.
“There’s the ability to go file a dispute,” Reimer said. “I don’t know how we missed this step.”
Schools will perform better if they know that data is being collected, according to Rep. Jess Olson, R-Rapid City. “I think service and performance will increase,” Olson said.
The committee endorsed the bill on a vote of 9-6. It now goes to the House floor.
