The state has fired the director of a school for the deaf in Morganton where allegations of abuse and neglect prompted an investigation.
Janet McDaniel, 49, director of the N.C. School for the Deaf in Morganton, had been suspended for 30 days in July after the advocacy group Disability Rights North Carolina alleged years of abuse and neglect at the school.
"Mrs. McDaniel was on investigatory leave as of July 16. At the end of that 30-day period she was not reinstated as an employee of this agency," Renee McCoy, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said Wednesday.
The department is finishing an investigation into the allegations, which included claims that staff members slapped or shoved students. Girls at the residential school reported that a dorm director made a habit of dropping in when students were taking showers. The dorm director was also accused of watching girls on a security camera while they were in pajamas.
Allegations compiled by the advocacy group did not accuse McDaniel of abuse, said Vicki Smith, executive director of Disability Rights North Carolina.
"We didn't necessarily find that she had hands on, but what we did find was she tried to cover it up and also allowed in the leadership position, allowed staff to think that was OK," Smith said. "Changing the leader, we believe, will send a clear message that behavior will not be tolerated."
Efforts to reach McDaniel failed Wednesday. At the time of her termination, she was being paid $97,115 a year.
The school, which is on summer break, enrolled 93 day and residential students last year. The state operates two residential schools for the deaf and one residential school for the blind and visually impaired.
McCoy said the investigation report could be ready early next week. HHS Secretary Lanier Cansler assembled a team that included a former administrator of the school, a parent of a former student and a child psychologist who is an expert in child abuse and neglect. The panel has interviewed more than 30 people.
"The goal was to get as much information and to be as in-depth and thorough as we could," McCoy said. "Of course the secretary's goal is to ensure that the students are safe when they return to the campus."
Though it is not clear what the report will say, Smith said, McDaniel's termination is a sign that Disability Rights' allegations were taken seriously.
"The fact that the department has taken this action we believe, first of all, validates our findings and second of all, will help improve conditions in that school," she said.
