Contributed photo | www.psd202.org
Contributed photo | www.psd202.org
D. 202 adds sign language interpreter to Board of Ed. Meetings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION, CALL
February 18, 2022 Tom Hernandez (815) 577-4008
Plainfield – District 202 recently added a sign language interpreter to its Board of Education meetings as an extra communications tool.
Visitors to (and online viewers of) the January 24 and February 14, 2022, regular Board meetings would have noticed the additional “speaker” sitting in front of the Board near the podium used for public comment, signing the meeting for audience members and online viewers.
A community member who is hearing-impaired requested the interpreter in early January.
District officials do not know if or when the original requestor will continue to attend meetings in person.
However, district administration decided to continue using the interpreter with or without a formal request for all future Board meetings to ensure equal access.
“We know there are probably other community members who benefit from and appreciate the service, whether they ever ask for it or not,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lane Abrell.
The sign language interpreter is the latest effort to maintain and boost transparency and communications during the COVID-19 pandemic which – as with everything else – made it more difficult to hold open Board meetings.
The District 202 Board of Education met online during the most restrictive mitigations period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Board resumed opening the meetings to the public in July 2021 and continue live streaming the meetings as well. Likewise, district leaders are also using the new closed captioning feature available through YouTube during live streaming.
“This is just another way to communicate effectively and efficiently with all of our families and taxpayers, and to let them participate in their local government,” Abrell said.
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