October 10, 2008
 
Dear Governor Jindal,
 
It is with great respect and admiration that I request your immediate involvement in the recent closure of The Louisiana School for the Deaf (LSD) by Paul Pastorek, Superintendent of Education.
 
The closure, even temporarily, will cause the death of the school. Nearly every professional working at the school and the majority of the parents believe this to be an over-reaction to the problems facing the school. These problems are not unique to LSD and occur at public, private, residential and special needs schools across the country. We do not condone child abuse and will do everything within our power to prevent it.
 
LSD is the best environment to meet not only the educational needs of deaf children, but to also enhance and support their social development. These children are already being dispersed across the state into local systems that cannot meet their needs. There is a greater likelihood of abuse where these children cannot communicate with their peers, teachers or other staff.  Many of these children will be left behind educationally.
 
These children suffered mental abuse at the hands of Paul Pastorek when he failed to inform them, their parents, or the staff of the schools closure in a direct and compassionate manner. The children heard of the closure through second hand text messaging (their primary means of electronic communication) while the parents and staff learned of it through sensational television news reports. This was a very traumatic experience for all of us, to say the least. The next and possibly worst form of abuse to a deaf person and one that dates back to the draconian days of hiding away the deaf will occur with the isolation they will experience as they are displaced from the deaf community they love at LSD.
 
My wife and I along with numerous parents, staff, students, alumni and other supporters spent all day Wednesday September 8th at the school in heated meetings and protests. Kenneth David, LSD Interim Director, Virginia Beridon, Interim State Director for Special School District and Rene’ Greer, DOE Director of Communications gave their conflicting accounts of what transpired over the previous days leading up to and during the decision to close the school. We were later joined by a very inattentive and somewhat disrespectful in her demeanor Ollie Taylor, DOE Deputy Secretary. Finally, after repeatedly requesting if not demanding the presence of Paul Pastorek all day he showed up around 6:30 PM.
  
To our disbelief, we were given an account from him that did not mesh with that of Kenneth David some of the other LSD staff or Virginia Beridon. We were further astonished to learn that the school had been closed without a plan. The plans for reopening are supposed to be developed over the coming days. There was no indication as to how or when the school would be reopened. Meeting the highly improbable if not impossible guidelines he laid out leads us to believe that it will not reopen anytime soon if ever.
 
As he told me himself at a previous meeting, he is a high paid attorney and I personally believe he has used his mastery of lawyering to be truthful in the eyes of the law but less than honest with the children, parents, staff and friends of LSD.
 
Kenneth David has spent his entire life immersed in the deaf community and deaf culture. Kenney has spent most of his adult life involved in Deaf Education. His service to LSD was praised by Mr. Pastorek.  Virginia Beridon has been in a leadership position working with LSD for some time. Both tendered their retirement letters after Mr. Pastorek's decision to close the school.
 
I believe Mr. Pastorek made this decision alone and that it is not supported by most of the following people: the Deaf Community, the Student Body, the Parents, or the LSD Staff.  Kenneth David or Virginia Beridon did not make this recommendation nor did the hired deaf professional consultants suggest it in their report.
 
Mr. Pastorek has limited if any experience in Deaf Education or Deaf Culture. He has decided that he knows better than anyone else, better than people that have spent their entire lives either being deaf or working with the deaf on how best to handle these problems, the same problems that face all educational institutions in our country, at LSD. We do not blame Mr. Pastorek for the problems we disagree with his solution.  Being that LSD is a state agency it has been subjected to budget cuts over recent years that have led to layoffs and an enormous reduction in staff directly affecting the quality of service.
 
Established in 1852 LSD has provided excellence in deaf education for over 150 years. LSD serves approximately 500 deaf or hard of hearing children and their families, making it one of the major schools for the deaf in the nation. This school is fully accredited by CEASD (Conference of Educators and Administrators Serving the Deaf) in acknowledgement of the excellence of its program. Despite this, Mr. Pastorek has decided he is willing to risk the death and forever silencing of LSD and that this form of abuse is less traumatic than that which he is using to justify his decision.
 
When you met the crowd at the opening of the floodgates on the Mississippi River I shook your hand and thanked you for giving us hope in Louisiana. You did not hurry me along to the next handshake; you looked me straight in the eyes and listened intently. I was overwhelmed by your sincerity. I cannot look you in the eye now but if I could you would see my pain.
 
Paul Pastorek is seriously injuring LSD and it will die. A mechanic turns the engine off to fix a car and a surgeon does his work while the patient is still alive. We need a surgeon not a mechanic.  Please help us keep LSD alive Governor and fix it while it is running.
 
Sincerely,
Edward Snyder and Family
Parent of one current and two former LSD students
2110 Mary Hughes Drive
Houma, LA   70363
985-226-6690