ASL and School Interpreters

     Today, I'm sharing some quick information related to Deaf students, American Sign Language, and educational interpreters. 

1.  American Sign Language involves standardized signs and visual gestural signs. 

Standardized Signs

• There are around 10,000 standardized signs in ASL.
• Standardized signs have their own defined hand shapes, movements, and facial expressions are governed by ASL grammar and syntax. They are used consistently and have the meanings agreed upon by the Deaf community.

English Word ASL Sign Description
        Thank you            Flat hand touches chin and moves forward 
        Mother                 Open hand, thumb taps twice 

                                     on the lower cheek near the mouth. 

        Deaf                     Index finger touches mouth then the ear 

Visual-Gestural Signs 

• Visual-gestural signs aren’t standard ASL signs
• Used to convey or add meaning

Gesture                     Used to Indicate 

        Pointing to a chair                        “Sit there” 

Shrugging the shoulders              “I don't know”  "I'm not sure"

Facial expression of surprise        (Expresses emotion)

Fingerspelling is used to fill gaps

• About 4-9% of ASL communication involves fingerspelling.
• Used for names, places, brands, and for technical terms that don't have established signs

Speaking, Signing, and Fingerspelling

• Speaking
• A fluent English speaker communicates at a rate between 150-180 words per minute.
• Signing
• Involves the use of both standardized signs and visual-gestural signs,
• Conveys meaning directly and efficiently, but not a word-for-word translation of English.
• A fluent signer can communicate at a rate between 100-130 words per minute (measured using conceptual equivalents).
• Fingerspelling
• Unique hand signs for numbers and each letter of the English alphabet,
• Requires more and faster mental-physical effort than signing
• Much harder to receive (“read”) than signs
• A fluent finger speller can communicate at a rate between 40-60 words per minute.

Educational ASL Interpreters

• Must have passed a required certification examination and hold a current license from the Iowa Board of Interpreters and Transliterators
• May be hired to provide interpreting services to a Deaf student, and/or to interpret for a Deaf parent at an official school meeting about their child
• Interprets spoken language into ASL (or vice versa) during classroom instruction, school activities, meetings, and events
• Must adhere to the standards of Iowa Code 154E and Code of Professional Conduct for Interpreters and Transliterators; subject to discipline for violations
• Must serve as neutral and accurate conduits between the Deaf and English speakers
• Not trained or licensed as teachers; does not scaffold or provide instruction to Deaf students (does not adapt, modify, explain, or define content)
• Must keep pace with and accurately sign the speaker’s content, regardless of whether the Deaf student or Deaf parent knows the sign being used, knows the meaning of a word being signed or fingerspelled, knows the sign being used, or can receive (“read”) fingerspelled words at the rate the interpreter is fingerspelling them
• Permitted to provide ASL demonstrations and extracurricular instruction for students who are not Deaf,

Short YouTube Videos:

Kids Meet A Deaf Person - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrgqs4MmK3U 

25 Easiest Signs to Remember in ASL  -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6GOZu0qWaM

25 ASL Signs You Need to Know - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FcwzMq4iWg 

How To Communicate Better With Deaf People - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af-hdLgo4bU 

Open Enrollment Blues?

Recently, I’ve received several calls from parents of elementary and secondary-age children who said they filed open enrollment applications before the March 1 deadline for the 2025-2026 school year. They thought their children would be automatically eligible to begin attending the requested school district next month, and were shocked when their applications were rejected. They wanted to know whether a school district could legally refuse to open-enroll a student whose application had been filed on time. In each instance, the answer was “yes.”  An Iowa public school district may reject a timely-filed open enrollment application for a variety of reasons, including the following:  

Insufficient Classroom Space: A receiving district may deny an open enrollment application if it determines there isn't enough classroom space to add another student. Each Iowa school district is required to adopt a policy defining "insufficient classroom space," and may include factors related to grade levels, pupil-teacher ratios, available facilities, and financial resources. See Iowa Admin. Code rule 281-17.6.

Disciplinary Status: A student who has been suspended or expelled in the resident district can't transfer to another district until the student has been reinstated in the resident district. If the student applies for reinstatement but is not reinstated, the district may deny the transfer request. See Iowa Code § 279.82.

Sex Offender Status: If a student has been required to register as a sex offender, the school board must determine the student’s educational placement, may deny open enrollment. See Iowa Code § 282.9.

Special Education Program Availability: If a student requires special education, the receiving district may deny the application if it cannot provide an appropriate special education program. This determination is made in consultation with the resident district and area education agency, and the decision is subject to procedural safeguards. See Iowa Admin. Code rules 281-17.2 and 281-17.10.

Court-Ordered Desegregation: Although none of the resident or requested school districts of the parents who called me were subject to a court-ordered desegregation plan, because this is mentioned in the law, I want to mention that if a resident district is subject to a desegregation order, the superintendent may deny an open enrollment request if it would negatively affect the implementation of that order. I would add that some exceptions exist, and denials may be appealed to the school board, and a board denial may be appealed to the Iowa District Court. See Iowa Code § 282.18; Iowa Admin. Code rules 281-17.2 and 281-17.6.

Homelessness: Although none of the children of the parents who called me were homeless, I want to mention that homelessness isn’t a basis for denial. However, if a homeless student isn't placed in the district requested by the parent or guardian in the open enrollment application, the resident school district must provide a written explanation and notice of appeal rights. See Iowa Admin. Code rule 281–33.7.

Please bear in mind that the information above applies to applications submitted by or before the annual March 1 open enrollment deadline. School districts may reject a late application (one filed after the March 1 deadline) unless there is “good cause,” such as repeated harassment or a serious health condition the resident district can’t adequately address. Denials in such cases may be appealed. See Iowa Code § 282.18.

For more information, you may read the new guidance published less than two weeks ago by the Iowa Department of Education, at https://educate.iowa.gov/media/10193/download?inline

Differences between Residential Facility Placements for Educational and Medical Reasons

         School districts are generally more familiar with legal requirements and procedures that apply when a doctor or court places a child in a residential facility for medical purposes than when an IEP team places a child in a residential facility for educational purposes. While both placement types focus on addressing the needs of children, their legal requirements vary significantly regarding the overseeing authorities, procedural structures, and the responsibilities of public entities.

Medical Placement by a Doctor/Juvenile Court

        Medical placements emphasize licensing, medical care plans, and judicial oversight for mental health cases. The child's placement must be based on a medical care plan that addresses the child’s medical, psychological, social, behavioral, and developmental needs, reflecting the necessity for inpatient care. See Iowa Code 135H.1 and 135H.14. 

        When a child is placed in a residential facility for medical purposes, the responsibility for finding the residential facility lies primarily with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) or the juvenile court, depending on the circumstances of the case.

       Educational Placement by an IEP Team

        Educational placements emphasize compliance with state education standards and collaboration between school districts and AEAs. When an IEP team places a child in a residential facility for education reasons, the placement must comply with specific statutory requirements under Iowa Code 282.34. 

        The provision of special education for a child placed at a residential facility is subject to the standards adopted by the Iowa State Board of Education that govern the educational programs and contracts between residential facilities and school districts. See Iowa Code 282.34 and 237C.4. The facility must provide an education program and services by either contracting with the school district where the facility is located, contracting with an accredited nonpublic school, or becoming accredited as a nonpublic school. See Iowa Code 282.34. Area education agencies (“AEAs”) are responsible for cooperating with the child’s school district of residence to share educational information, textbooks, and materials to ensure the child receives an appropriate education. Id. 282.30. 

  

Continuum of Placements: Residential Facility

        The IDEA (20 U.S.C. § 1400-1487) and Iowa special education law require public school districts to provide eligible children with a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”). 20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(1)(B)(I); Iowa Code § 256B.2(1)(a), (2)(a) (2025); see also Kass v. W. Dubuque Community School District, 101 F.4th 562, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 11399 (8th Cir. Iowa 2024). Moreover, it requires public school districts to provide a FAPE tailored to a child’s unique needs, which includes ensuring that the IEP is implemented in a manner that enables the child to make appropriate progress in light of their circumstances. See D.L. v. St. Louis City Sch. Dist., 950 F.3d 1057 (8th Cir. 2020); see also 20 U.S.C. § 1400, § 1412; 34 C.F.R. § 300.1, § 300.39; Iowa Admin. Code r. 281—41.17 (2025). 

        Occasionally, an IEP team finds that a child's needs exceed the ability of the school district to provide the child with a FAPE in a school district setting. For this reason, state and federal law clarify that "special education" includes instruction in the classroom, home, hospital, or institution designed to meet the needs of children requiring special education; transportation and corrective and supporting services required to assist children requiring special education in taking advantage of, or responding to, educational programs and opportunities, as defined by rules of the state board of education. See 34 C.F.R, §300.39; Iowa Code 256B.29(b)(2025).

When the nature or severity of a child’s disability makes education in a regular classroom setting unsatisfactory, even with supplementary aids and services, IEP teams must consider more restrictive placements, including residential facilities. See 20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(5); Mitchell v. Cedar Rapids Community Sch. Dis, 832 N.W.2d 689 (2013). The IDEA recognizes that some students with disabilities require full-time support in a residential facility to receive a FAPE. educational benefit. 

        IEP team placement of a child in a residential facility for educational purposes is part of the continuum of placements required under the IDEA and Iowa special education law. See Iowa Code 256B.2; Iowa Admin. Code r. 281-41.115(2)(a); see also D.L. v. St. Louis City School District, 950 F.3d 1057 (8th Cir. 2020).  

A child’s IEP team is authorized to determine that a child requires placement in a residential facility to provide a FAPE. See Independent School District No. 284 v. A.C., 258 F.3d 769, 771 (8th Cir. 2001); 20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(10)(B); Iowa Admin. Code r. 281—41.116.  A public school district cannot unilaterally override an IEP team's determination that a child requires placement in a residential facility. See Iowa Code 256B.2 (explicitly stating that special education placements, including residential facilities, are to be provided when the nature or severity of the disability necessitates such arrangements, as determined by the IEP team); see also Iowa Code 282.31 (underscoring the binding nature of IEP team decisions by requiring the school district of residence to pay special education costs, including residential placements, determined necessary by the IEP team). 

    While public school districts retain some authority over educational decisions, they are constrained by the requirement to comply with the IEP team's determinations. See Southeast Warren Community School District v. Department of Public Instruction, 285 N.W.2d 173 (Iowa 1979) (in which the Iowa Supreme Court recognized that the legislature anticipated the need for specialized placements for certain students and established a framework for evaluation and placement that prioritizes the IEP team's recommendations.).