The Transition
On May 8, 2009, Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak made the following announcement, “Starting with the 2009-10 school year, the acclaimed Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf will begin providing education to deaf and hard of hearing students…” which meant that for the first time in the 130 year history of deaf education in northeast Pennsylvania a private, non-profit school would serve deaf and hard of hearing students.
The new school was named The Scranton School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. This name change incorporated the most significant difference between the former school and the new school: the addition of “Hard of Hearing.”
The Beginning
The Scranton School opened its doors on September 8th, 2009 to 81 students from preschool through 12th grade. Services were immediately comprehensive, within the first school year, ranging from high-quality classroom instruction through specialized services, such as audilogical, medical, residential, psychological and much more…
By the start of the 2010-2011 school year, the majority of the high school program transferred to Pittsburgh, where the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf offered a superior cadre of specialized services for high school students.
Today
At the commencement of the 2011-2012 school year, The Scranton School’s services shall be located at the school’s new campus in South Abington Township. The 100-acre campus was purchased in 2010 for $2.4 million and houses an 18-bedroom residence for boarding students and a 68,000 square foot building for all other services.