On Board Online • August 11, 2025
By Rick Karlin
Special Correspondent
Many school boards across New York spent time this summer devising local policies on cellphone usage to comply with a new mandate by lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul. A school in Rome didn't have to make any changes, though. Some time ago, a policy was developed at the New York State School for the Deaf.
"We actually got ahead of it a little bit," the school's superintendent, Kara Shore, said during a recent interview.
That's because phone use is even more complicated among deaf students than the general school population. Many deaf students rely on their phones' FaceTime apps to communicate using American Sign Language. Others prefer closed captioned video. A few of the students are also able to hear to some extent thanks to cochlear implants and other technology, and they might talk on their phones.
"We want it to be a choice for the kids," said Shore.
"There isn't a singular philosophy of how you must communicate at the school," added Christopher Suriano, who heads the State Education Department's Office of Special Education.
There are a handful of privately operated schools for the deaf across New York, including St. Mary's School for the Deaf in Buffalo, the Lexington School and Center for the Deaf in Queens and the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains.
But the New York State School for the Deaf, or NYSSD, is the only such school operated by the State Education Department. There is a counterpart for blind students, the New York State School for the Blind in Batavia.
This year NYSSD is celebrating its 150th anniversary. School officials welcomed a visit by a correspondent from On Board and explained the many unique aspects of this part of the state's public education system.
Initially known as the Central New York Institution for Deaf Mutes, one of the co-founders was the Rev. Thomas Gallaudet, an Episcopal minister. His father, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, helped developed American Sign Language in the 19th century, and Gallaudet University is named for him.
The school opened in 1875 with four students. Another co-founder, Alphonso Johnson, served as principal and teacher.
Over the years, the PK-12 school grew, peaking at one point with about 200 students. Today there are 40 students from all around the state.
Why the drop in enrollment? One factor is better technology such as implants. Another is the fact that families generally want to keep students with disabilities living at home and attending their local districts. Then there is the law: Deaf students and others with disabilities must be offered the least restrictive environment possible in which to learn.
One thing that has changed since the school's founding is the development of methods for early intervention. NYSSD operates a Deaf Infant Outreach program in which specialists visit deaf babies in Oneida County (where Rome is located) and in bordering counties.
Students attending NYSSD can come from anywhere in the state. While some are from Central New York, they also have students from Kingston, Plattsburgh and Central Square. Some come from families that do not speak English at home; this year there are youngsters from Somalia and Afghanistan, where the native languages are Somali and Pashto, respectively.
A dozen of the pupils are residential; the school includes a dormitory area, lounge and kitchen. Residential students have their own dorm rooms, the size of which would be the envy of most college students.
The school has a relationship with Madison-Oneida BOCES, which gives students the opportunity to receive training in skills such as culinary arts, welding, construction trades and auto technology. After graduation, some students have gone on to work in a local auto dealership or continue their education at Mohawk Valley Community College.
Because it is state-operated, NYSSD's operating budget of about $10 million per year comes from the state Board of Regents and Legislature.
And rather than a school board, there is a board of visitors appointed by the Regents to oversee operations.
On a recent visit, pupils and teachers were going about their day. In one classroom, kindergartener Brooklyn Snell was reviewing an illustrated children's book with teacher Amber Spatto.
At age 6, Snell was able to cheerfully greet a group of visitors using ASL.
In the gym, a group of older students were doing aerobic-style workouts.
The gym was festooned with banners from rival deaf schools; NYSSD competes with schools that belong to the Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association. The NYSSD Trojans compete in girls' and boys' soccer, basketball, track, co-ed softball and varsity cheerleading. A National Deaf Cheer Competition is held annually in Rochester.
The school sits on the same 17-acre site as the original Institution, although a leafy residential neighborhood has developed around it over the decades.
From the outside it looks like a typical K-12 structure that one might find anywhere in New York. But, on the inside, there are a number of differences from other schools.
For instance, bathrooms in the dorm section have lights signifying whether they are occupied or not.
"You can't knock on doors here," explained Erika Furbek, who directs the residential department.
One of the playrooms for younger kids has special soundproof insulation on the walls. Why would they need that? Because sharp sounds can distort how people hear with cochlear implants. That also explains the carpeting in some sections of the school.
The school has its own audiology lab with a soundproof booth for testing, and an audiologist on staff.
NYSSD's uniqueness also explains why the school is waiting for approval on a playground upgrade for the youngest students. School officials are seeking a metal slide rather than a plastic one because the latter can create static electricity that interferes with implants. Educators there also want to erect a ropes course since that can help deaf youngsters develop their sense of balance, which comes from the inner ear.
Like many schools, the focus is on the "whole student," said Shore.
Graduates have gone on to Gallaudet University and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, which is part of the Rochester Institute of Technology, among other schools.
On Board visited the school just prior to the 2025 commencement. The speaker was graduate Arif Cajik, who immigrated with his family from Bosnia and is now a student at RIT's Institute for the Deaf.
Like many alumni, Cajik seems destined to maintain a lifelong bond with the school, said Vinnie Page, who heads curriculum and instruction at the school.
"He always wants this connection," Page said.