EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Merrimack Valley

Rally for deaf teacher held outside superintendent's office

By Brian Messenger
bmessenger@eagletribune.com
Published: July 3, 2009

ANDOVER — Kevin Winters can relate to American Sign Language teacher Daniela Ioannides, who is deaf and fighting to keep her job at Andover High School after failing a state teacher certification exam.

"I'm in the same situation too," said Winters, 36, a substitute teacher in Andover for the last six years who is deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other.

Winters said he will take the state's English competency test for teachers for a fifth time this fall, having failed the exam four times previously.

Educators must pass the test to become certified teachers in Massachusetts, a task that has proven extremely difficult for Winters and Ioannides, who was born deaf.

Ioannides, 44, of Methuen, was told June 23 that she would lose her job next fall as the American Sign Language teacher at Andover High because she has yet to earn her teacher certification.

Students and teachers held a rally for Ioannides yesterday outside of Superintendent Claudia Bach's office at the Andover School Administration Building on Whittier Court.

"She's one of the greatest role models I've ever seen," said Winters of Ioannides. "I'm not giving up my dream. And she's a great role model for the students."

Bach and about 25 others attended the rally, which grew heated at times.

Event organizer William Kolbe, a Spanish teacher Andover High, asked Bach to immediately reinstate Ioannides until the state makes its teacher test accessible to the hearing impaired.

"How can you just administer like this and deny her the right to teach?" Kolbe asked Bach. "This is an outrage. This is discrimination."

Ioannides has been working in Andover for five years through a Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education waiver program that allows non-certified teachers to teach in public schools as long as they continue working toward becoming certified.

But in order for Ioannides' waiver to be renewed next year by the state, Bach said the School Department must first attempt to hire a replacement with the proper certification.

Bach said enforcement of the waiver program guidelines has increased in recent years.

"The state has become much more absolute about this," said Bach. "They set up conditions that we have to follow, that we just can't ignore, and I hope you understand that."

Andover Teachers Union President Tom Meyers challenged Bach yesterday, stating that in the past the School Department has never attempted to replace Ioannides while waiting for the state to approve her waiver.

Other Andover teachers have been granted waivers for more than five consecutive years without experiencing problems with the state, Meyers said.

Bach said the School and Human Resources departments have worked hard in recent years to retain Ioannides and will continue to do so in the fall.

"I understand you're trying," said Kailagh O'Keefe, 17, who will be a senior at Andover High next year. "You haven't done enough."

American Sign Language is an elective at Andover High. Ioannides also teaches American Sign Language at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

"It's not about placing blame," Ioannides said yesterday through a sign language interpreter. "It is about working together, getting students involved. So many of my students are here. They believe in me."

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