While students attending Northview may be expected to also live within the district, not all do. Many Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) students overlook the distance in order to attend the school that best fits their needs.
“We have a student who lives in Byron Center,” DHH teacher Kylie Herzog said. “Two of our other students live in the Grand Rapids Public Schools residential district. Another is in Rockford, and two more in Wyoming.”
Because they don’t reside within the district (defined by Northview’s Director of Transportation Tim Christian as a distance of 13.9 square miles), they ride separate buses from Dean Transportation. Each DHH student has this incorporated as part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP), which specifies their special education needs.
In recent weeks, however, Dean Transportation experienced temporary staffing issues and had to cancel routes. Several students either couldn’t make it to school or arrived late.
“I had a student who wasn’t transported for multiple days, and three other students who drove here two hours late every day,” Herzog said. “Out of fourteen school days, they made it on time only one day. Thankfully, [their teacher Matt] Howe has been very flexible, making it very accessible for them. I had one student who could even Zoom in.”
Despite the unfavorable events, Dean has informed them that things should return to normal soon.
Though it may seem like a hassle to choose a school farther away rather than closer, some may not have much of a choice. These students have no access to DHH services at their local schools. Here, they have the accommodations and staff to help them learn, as well as the opportunity to integrate into classes with hearing students.
“They have access to [American Sign Language] and DHH teachers here,” Herzog said. “This is the best place for them.”
