Scranton State School for the Deaf (SSSD) was a residential school for the deaf established in 1880 in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

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. Its students ranged in age from birth to 21. At the end of the 2008–09 school year, the school was turned over from state management to the

Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) is a school for deaf and hard of hearing children in Edgewood, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1869. The school is listed as a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmar ...

. The new school was renamed Scranton School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children.

History

Reverend Jacob Koehler established the school in 1880. In 1913, by authority of a state legislative act, the Commonwealth took control of the school renaming it the Pennsylvania State Oral School for the Deaf. It was subsequently renamed the Scranton State School for the Deaf in 1976. The passage of the

Education for All Handicapped Children Act The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (sometimes referred to using the acronyms EAHCA or EHA, or Public Law (PL) 94-142 was enacted by the United States Congress in 1975. This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to p ...

in 1975 by the federal government categorized state-operated schools as SSSD as not as preferred compared to local school districts providing education for the deaf. SSSD superintendent James Fricke stated that this could make the school unviable. In 1979 consultant Dr. Neal V. Musmano argued that SSSD should add a junior college department that grants associate degrees. In 2009

Governor of Pennsylvania A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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proposed a budget which would remove all funding for the school. Area state representatives opposed this.
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. ''

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'' argued that lawmakers should study carefully the merits of the institution and whether it should be closed before making a decision.

Campus

The campus school is in the Green Ridge portion of Scranton and had of space.

Demographics

In 2009 the school had 107 students and 75 employees.

Campus

The school had boarding facilities.

Curriculum

By 1979 the school had two computers for deaf education, with each worth $150,000. They had basic mathematics and reading comprehension programs for elementary students and higher levels for secondary and adult students.
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. By 1979 the school launched an early intervention program to detect hearing loss in infants, called the Parent-Infant program.
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Extracurricular activities

Scranton State School for the Deaf athletic teams, known as the Bears, compete in basketball, softball, cross country, soccer, and cheerleading in

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc., also known by its acronymn PIAA, is one of the governing bodies of high school and middle school athletics for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. The PIAA's main ...

and Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association competition.

Notable alumni

Former superintendents

Dr. Victor H. Galloway (1979-1981) Dr. Dorothy S. Bambach (1988 - 2006) *Dr. Monita Hara (2007–2009) - Hara criticized the closure of the school and resigned to avoid getting suspended in retaliation.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1880 Educational institutions disestablished in 2009 Defunct schools in Pennsylvania Schools for the deaf in the United States Schools in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania 1880 establishments in Pennsylvania 2009 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Public boarding schools in the United States Boarding schools in Pennsylvania Public K-12 schools in Pennsylvania