WHEREAS, the use of educational media is common in Oregon public schools; and
WHEREAS, less than twenty percent of educational videos and less than five percent of educational CD-ROMs and DVDs are captioned; and
WHEREAS, very few educational Internet sites dependent upon sound have captions; and
WHEREAS, educational media made solely for classroom use are not required to be captioned under regulations adopted by the Federal Communications Commission; and
WHEREAS, the use of non-captioned media in classrooms effectively excludes deaf and hard-of-hearing students from important educational activities; and
WHEREAS, captioned media are recognized by educational professionals as valuable tools for facilitating the language acquisition and reading skills of all students, especially those who are learning disabled, English Language Learners or strongly reliant on visual rather than auditory input to learn.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE
IT RESOLVED that the Oregon School Boards Association, in an effort to ensure that no Oregon student is left behind, strongly recommends that the State Board of Education, local school district and education service district boards specify a preference for captioned media when ordering new educational materials.
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be sent to the directors of the National School Boards Association, the commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission and to each member of the Oregon Congressional Delegation..
