Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, speaks in the Alaska House of Representatives in 2023. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing would be guaranteed a local education under a proposal passed unanimously by the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday.
The House passed a different version of House Bill 39, by Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, during the 33rd Alaska State Legislature, but that bill never received a Senate vote and died at the end of that Legislature.
Allard reintroduced the measure last year, at the start of the 34th Alaska State Legislature. Speaking on Monday, she called for its adoption, noting that other states have acted on this topic.
“When I first started this bill, we had 17 states that had passed the Children’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bill of Rights. Today we have 20. I’d like to make us the 21st,” she said.
If enacted, HB 39 would require local school districts to provide “comprehensive, neutral, and unbiased information” and resources for the parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Those students would not be required to attend a centralized, statewide boarding school for the deaf, though some residential services may still be required.
Parents would be allowed to choose the method of communication — sign language or something else — most appropriate for their child.
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development said the bill would not add additional costs for the state. The measure is supported by the Alaska Deaf Council and the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education, among other groups.
“This bill, I wish they had it when I was a child,” said Allard, who has struggled with hearing loss.
Monday’s 40-0 vote sends HB 39 to the Senate for further work.
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Courtesy of Alaska Beacon
