The Mississippi School for the Deaf (MSD) is a school for the

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

and hard of hearing in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

(SACS). It offers elementary and secondary education (K-12), covering students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade.

History

Established by the

Mississippi Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and the upper Mississippi State Senate, with 52 m ...

on March 1, 1854, the school was originally named the Mississippi Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. In its early years, the school was troubled by a lack of teaching staff, which sometimes closed its doors, but in 1857 Lawrence Saunders, the school's first student, returned to teach. Although the school was closed during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

from 1861 to 1871 when the building was used as a hospital by the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, it never had to close for lack of instructors again. Saunders continued to teach until he died in an accident on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

in 1895.

Facilities

The current campus is located at 1253 Eastover Drive in Jackson, the fifth building to house the school. It includes dormitories.

References

External links

MSD's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mississippi School for the Deaf Public high schools in Mississippi Schools in Hinds County, Mississippi Educational institutions established in 1854 Schools for the deaf in the United States Public middle schools in Mississippi Public elementary schools in Mississippi Public K-12 schools in the United States Public boarding schools in the United States Boarding schools in Mississippi 1854 establishments in Mississippi