FLINT, MI — After a competitive hiring process, Rex Vernon has been selected to be the next Michigan School for the Deaf principal.
Since 2008, Vernon has served as both an elementary and middle school teacher at the school. He will officially begin his new position Monday, Feb. 23, according to a Friday, Feb. 7 news release by the Michigan Department of Education.
Vernon is proficient in American Sign Language, a child of deaf adults and has served on curriculum committees, school improvement teams and multiple other committees, according to the release. He holds a masters degree in school principal ship and a bachelor of arts degree in special education and deaf education.
Parents concerned about Michigan School for the Deaf’s principal hiring process
In June 2019, a meeting was scheduled by the state to address the principal position the day after several people held a protest over the transparency of the process.
Angela Horne, a life skills teacher at the MSD High School, was selected to serve as the school’s interim principal for no more than a year. Horne filled the roll while the state was in the process of hiring a full-time replacement following the resignation of Natalie Grupido in April.
Parents brought up issues with the appointment of Horne and concerns over criteria used by the state to determine ASL proficiency.
The process leading to the hiring of Vernon included a public meet and greet of candidates, a performance demonstration, an evaluation of candidates’ education and experience and two rounds of interviews that were open to the public, according to the release. Staff, students, parents, alumni and community members had an opportunity to cast a ballot for their choice of candidate.
The interview panel included members of the MSD staff, administration, alumni, the Gallaudet University’s Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Human Resource Department and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights Division on Deaf, Deaf Blind and Hard of Hearing.
Michigan School for the Deaf hires interim principal; parents, students raise concerns