Durham Sign Language Interpreters Send Message with Absence

Interpreters for deaf students in Durham Public Schools wanted to be heard on Thursday, so they didn’t show up for work.

Ten DPS American sign language interpreters and seven language facilitators who help deaf and hard of hearing students took the day off to push for higher pay for classified employees. But they sent a letter to the Board of Education ahead of that night’s meeting, and attended to speak during public comment.

Rachel Williams, who provides sign language interpretation at Jordan High School, told board members that these employees work with fewer staff, more students, and greater demands. “It is entirely unsustainable,” Williams said.

“It’s our hope that our absence today in those schools highlights the importance of the work that we do and shows the level of skill, support, and language access we provide to the vulnerable students in the deaf and hard of hearing population,” she said.

The letter included a demand for DPS to pay classified workers what they were promised in October, which was estimated closer to market rate.

It called for Durham County Commissioners to fund the entirety of the school district’s historic $27.7 million budget increase to help raise pay for classified staff, despite the county manager’s plan to fund no more than a $13 million increase.

Finally, it urged the district to hire interpreter contractors to serve during deaf staff members’ personal meetings to avoid violations of the professional conduct code established by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and National Association of the Deaf.

“If our demands are not met, we will be forced to make difficult decisions for the coming year, which will be detrimental to DPS, our program, and most importantly, our population of vulnerable students,” the letter concludes.

Interpreters warned that losing people for those positions would leave the district in danger of violating legal requirements in student individualized educational plans (IEPs) and could lead to lawsuits against DPS.

The district issued a statement Thursday afternoon, which reads: “Any DPS employee can exercise the right to express themselves, and we appreciate their voices. We acknowledge the critical role that our Exceptional Children’s professionals play in the educational lives of our students and will continue to work toward resolution. Our current budget proposal includes additional pay for classified personnel and an additional supplement for these employees.”

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