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August 21, 2004

State auditors find violations at State School for the Deaf

From: Scranton Times, PA - Aug 21, 2004

BY JENNIFER L. HENN / STAFF WRITER
08/21/2004

Auditors have previously criticized the specialized school for not running the necessary background checks on new and prospective employees.

An audit of the Scranton State School for the Deaf recently turned up several violations, including the school's continued failure to run criminal and child abuse background checks on new employees, reports show.

Most of the infractions were rectified after school officials were informed of the findings.

State Auditor General Robert P. Casey Jr. released the results Friday, saying his office also found instances of fire safety violations at the North Washington Street school. Auditors identified 10 teachers and three substitute teachers lacking proper certification.

The school is owned and operated by the state Department of Education. Officials there declined to respond to the report Friday. School administrators could not be reached for comment.

According to Mr. Casey's findings, auditors have previously criticized the specialized school for not running the necessary background checks on new and prospective employees. The checks are mandated by state law for anyone employed or contracted by a school who has direct contract with students.

A news release put out by Mr. Casey's office Friday indicates state education officials have agreed to step up the employee screening.

The Casey audit found problems with the school's fire safety measures as well. Investigators said the school failed to keep a record of fire drills, including date, time and observations, as mandated by law, and failed to train its staff on how to use fire extinguishers.

In addition, the audit team found the school had not been inspecting the extinguishers.

Since the audit was completed, the school has installed a new fire safety and security system.

As for the staff, Mr. Casey's audit said several teachers lacked hearing-related and other special education certifications required by the state Public School Code. School officials responded by having asking state officials help meet the certification requirements.

©Scranton Times Tribune 2004