Draconian measures will damage the school system

As a retired teacher from the RI School for the Deaf I am writing to express my dismay at the decision to "turnaround" New Bedford High School. These draconian measures promulgated by the federal and state DOEs are so damaging. 

The RI School for the Deaf was labeled a Persistently Lowest Achieving School by the RI DoE in 2011. This was based largely on NECAP scores, which are not valid for our population. The school went through a trauma deciding on which of the 4 draconian measures we would opt for. The Board of Trustees ultimately decided on the transformation model, which spared us the ramifications of the turnaround model, but the turmoil was counter-productive. 

Beneficial changes could have been worked out without that intense pressure. I hope that your rally is successful and that this disastrous and unfair plan will be averted. 

Sincerely, Sheila Resseger