Deaf, hard of hearing program continued

Newport-Mesa Unified School District Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard has decided to extend a deaf and hard of hearing program at Costa Mesa High School for non-Newport-Mesa students, a spokeswoman for the district said Tuesday.

The program was originally going to change as to allow only Newport-Mesa students at the end of the year because a number of Santa Ana students enrolled in the program were returning to their home district. That would have forced students who live in districts other than Newport-Mesa to find a new program for the next school year.

But Hubbard’s decision allows students from outside the district to enroll in the program from the 2008-09 school year, as well as allow two juniors and one senior from Santa Ana to stay in Newport-Mesa, officials said. All other Santa Ana students will return to their home school district.

Hubbard’s decision also included the elementary level deaf and hard of hearing program. Students from outside the district, as well as Newport-Mesa students, are allowed to enroll in the program for 2008-09 school year; students from Santa Ana, however, will return to their home district.

“We really aren’t doing anything much different than what was originally proposed,” said Newport-Mesa spokeswoman Laura Boss.

Boss added that while the parameters set are for the next school year, students may still be offered the program in the future based on the needs and interests of the student.

“This is ongoing,” she said. “We are looking at the program in its entirety.”

The program has been highly coveted by some parents because it is an oral program — one not using sign language or lip reading — that helps to transition deaf children into typical classrooms and social environments.

“I have a deaf brother who [was given an oral education] and he is very successful,” said Lori Bell, a deaf and hard of hearing teacher at Costa Mesa High School. “I know where deaf kids can go when they get the education they need.”

Bell’s brother went on to earn degrees in architecture and business while attending USC.

“If [my brother] would have relied on sign language I don’t think he would have got to where he is,” Bell said.

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at daniel.tedford@latimes.com.