The Wyoming School for the Deaf was a school for

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 ...

elementary students located in

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The school was open from 1961 until it was closed due to a lack of students in 2000. The school was created to accommodate the concerns of parents who did not want to send their deaf children to schools in other states. Early pilot programs were conducted, and in 1959, a house was purchased across from the local Pineview Elementary School and used to house the program. In 1961, the state legislature appropriated more funds for the program and a permanent school was built and dedicated in 1963. The dormitory facility opened in 1990; prior to that date students stayed with host families. The student population declined after federal guidelines came into place which required that deaf students generally be instructed in locations near their houses. The school was closed in 2000, with only one student enrolled. All the other students had been mainstreamed into regular schools. In 2007, the Natrona County School District announced that they would be tearing down the building, which resulted in an outcry from alumni of the school, who wanted to see the building preserved. As of 2011, the building is still standing. The original portion of the building is used as a library and resource center for the deaf/hard-of-hearing and visually impaired in the area, with various services provided. There has been no money available to tear down the old building and rebuild Pineview Elementary School. As of summer of 2013, plans are in the works to demolish Pineview Elementary and the Wyoming School for the Deaf. The Casper Historic Preservation Commission and alumni of the school are both fighting the proposed demolition, which would take place in 2014 under plans to build a replacement for Pineview Elementary. Funding for the construction still has to be approved by the Legislature, which is scheduled to consider the issue at next year's session. Until money is available for the project — which includes the school's demolition — it will remain standing.

References

External links

*Byer, Kelly (2013-08-01
Alums, preservationists fear Casper deaf-school demolition
''Casper Star-Tribune'' *Moore, Makayla (2013-07-22

''Casper Journal''
Archive
*Drake, Kerry (2013-07-24
Agency, Alumni Frustrated by Plans to Tear Down Wyoming School for the Deaf
''The Casper Citizen'' *Watt, Meghan (2007-10-01

''Casper Star-Tribune'' *Wyoming Department of Education Services for the deaf/hard of hearing program

{{Coord, 42.84411, -106.28676, format=dms, display=title, type:edu_region:US-WY Schools for the deaf in the United States Schools in Wyoming Defunct schools in Wyoming Educational institutions established in 1961 Educational institutions disestablished in 2000 Buildings and structures in Casper, Wyoming 1961 establishments in Wyoming 2000 disestablishments in Wyoming Public boarding schools in the United States