Parents, former educators and graduates are calling for leadership changes at the Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
They say the schools’ leadership isn’t well-versed in Deaf and blind culture, students don’t have access to American Sign Language and Braille resources, and the schools lack experienced educators and staff.
As of Tuesday, a petition demanding for the resignation of Superintendent LaMarlon Wilson and various administrators at the schools has gotten 400 signatures since it was created a week ago by Victorica Monroe, a 2008 graduate.
LaMarlon Wilson, superintendent of the Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and the Blind School District, teaches American Sign Language at the Mississippi School for the Deaf in Jackson, Miss., on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today“We believe that immediate leadership change is necessary to restore public trust, strengthen institutional accountability, improve educational outcomes, and ensure that the Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and the Blind once again reflects the excellence, bilingual philosophy, and student-centered mission that have defined its heritage for generations,” the petition reads.
Wilson said in an emailed statement that a “small group of stakeholders” are raising concerns. Administrators are properly experienced, he said, and the schools have increased interpreter positions, expanded professional learning opportunities related to deaf education and made significant efforts toward expanding American Sign Language access.
Alumni say the state’s only public schools for children who are deaf or blind are a far cry from the places they knew when they attended.
Monroe, an adjunct professor at Gallaudet University, said that when they were a student, they’d look forward to the end of summer because it meant they could go back to school.
“All of my friends were there,” Monroe said. “It always felt like home. I was always so excited to be back at school to be with my friends and the staff because I was able to converse 24/7. The only time you would stop was when we were sleeping.”
Monroe said they received more than a typical education at the school — their experience prepared them for life as a deafblind person.
“It was so valuable, so unique and so much different from a general education school,” Monroe said. “I still truly feel like that is my home.”
But when Monroe visited the schools last year, they became concerned after a conversation with Wilson about the importance of school staff understanding the American Sign Language and English Bilingual approach for teaching, which treats ASL as a child’s first language and English as a second language.
Bart Williams, another graduate, similarly grew worried after visiting his alma mater last year.
ASL Camp is held at the Mississippi School for the Deaf in Jackson, Miss., on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today“My heart broke because I couldn’t believe what was happening,” said Williams, who is deaf. “Teachers weren’t paying attention to the kids. There were kids playing in the classroom but there was no signing. All of the teachers are speaking, and I was like, ‘Where are their hands?’”
Parents and former educators say students with visual impairments may also not be receiving all of the services to which they’re entitled under federal law.
Elise Corbin’s son, Landen Walden, graduated as valedictorian from the School for the Blind in May. Corbin said Walden’s lattice degeneration, the thinning of retinas in both eyes that causes tears and detachments, has rapidly worsened over the past two years because he’s on his computer for online classwork and tests for hours each day — something explicitly prohibited in his individualized education plan.
Corbin found out in March that her son needs to have his right eye removed.
“Every day he’d come home just defeated, broke down and exhausted,” she said. “It was a battle for him to go to school.”
Corbin said she has tried but been unable to talk to school administration for months because of the frequent staff turnover.
The Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and the Blind has had 10 superintendents since 2019, including Wilson, the current leader, said Jane Harty, a former teacher at the School for the Blind. There is frequent turnover among certified educators, too, Harty said.
State and district officials are committed to ensuring students at the schools “receive a high-quality education, communication skills, independence preparing for successful transitions to post secondary life and will continue to work collaboratively with families, staff, and community partners to support student success,” Wilson wrote in a statement.
The entrance to the Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and the Blind is seen in Jackson, Miss., on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayThe petition lists a number of requests, including the appointment of interim leadership experienced in Deaf and blind education, a review of the schools’ programs and practices, and collaboration with members of the Deaf and blind communities.
Harty said she and other former educators and parents have a meeting next month with State Superintendent of Education Lance Evans to discuss their issues.
Agency leaders have worked with officials at the Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and the Blind to “to ensure the unique needs of our students are met,” Shanderia Minor, a spokesperson for the education agency, said in an email. “MSDB will always be a top priority, and decisions will be made and concerns addressed in the best interests of our students.”
But Corbin disagreed that state education officials have treated the schools as a priority.
“I don’t think they have been listening,” she said. “And my phone call list from today can show a host of people who agree.”
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