The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind board vote on Thursday can proceed, Pima County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey T. Bergin said Wednesday morning after he declined families’ request for postponement.
Eleven families of ASDB students sued to stop the vote in Phoenix on Thursday afternoon.
The complaint, filed Monday, alleges the school did not give families enough input and notice before it informed them the Tucson campus would move to a new site next school year.
ASDB parents sue to halt vote on moving Tucson campus
Eleven families of students at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind have filed a complaint in Pima County Superior Court seeking… Keep reading
“The Court is sympathetic to the concerns raised by these parents and legal guardians,” Bergin wrote in his decision. “Nevertheless, the Court must follow the law and the Court’s rules. In doing so, the Court finds Plaintiffs have not shown a strong likelihood of success at trial on the merits.”
Last month, ASDB Superintendent Annette Reichman said she would sign a five-year lease with Amphitheater Public Schools to rent Copper Creek Elementary in Oro Valley — 15 miles and 30 minutes away from its current site on West Speedway Boulevard.
The Arizona Attorney General’s office, which serves as legal adviser for ASDB, told Arizona Luminaria it cannot comment on the lawsuit or the meeting vote.
The families’ complaint — filed on behalf of 15 families, 11 of them named — also says the administration moved forward with plans to close programs for blind and visually impaired students while “maintaining or prioritizing programming for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.”
However, Wednesday’s ruling is on the vote only — scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m. in Phoenix.
“Rest assured, we will be seeking additional measures to prevent the school from closing down, moving to Oro Valley and neglecting the blind and visually impaired students they are tasked with (and receive federal and state dollars to support) educating,” said lawyer Melissa Rueschhoff of Signature Law Partners PLLC, who represents the families.
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