After six years as principal of the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD), Toyah Robey announced on April 28 that she will retire at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
“With much reflection and prayer, I have made the decision to shift my time to be with my family that includes my wonderful husband, two amazing daughters and five grandchildren,” Robey wrote in a letter to students, staff and community. “I feel incredibly blessed and humbled to have been the principal of KSD and have worked hard to honor the efforts of those that came before me and those I serve daily to continue the KSD’s rich history and important work of Deaf education.”
Toyah Robey
Robey said she is proud of the team, adding it is “with great pride that we have completed many beautification and safety projects on campus that includes campus lighting, fencing, cameras, planted trees and flowers and purchased equipment to effectively enhance the beauty of our grounds, added a handicap accessible playground and have many more projects to come.”
Kentucky Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass thanked Robey for her service. As commissioner, Glass serves as superintendent of KSD.
“(Toyah) has been a steady influence on KSD,” he said. “I appreciate the service and leadership that Toyah has provided to the school and I wish her well in this next phase of her life.”
The search for the next principal of KSD began on April 28, Glass said, with the posting of the job description to the school’s website. It was added to the KDE Vacancies webpage today.
“KDE and I are fully committed to the success of KSD,” he said. “He added that we will incorporate student, staff, family and community voices throughout this process so that we can make critical and informed decisions as we proceed with our search.”
Glass said he and KDE “will incorporate student, staff, family and community voices throughout this process so that we can make critical and informed decisions as we proceed with our search.”
KDE will send out a community survey by May 4 and hold two forums to gain feedback on the qualities and characteristics the KSD community would like to see in the next principal.
The forums are scheduled for:
- Virtual forum: Wednesday, May 24 at 7-8 p.m. ET. The forum will be held via Zoom.
- In-person forum: Wednesday, May 31 at 6-7 p.m. ET in the gymnasium at the Kentucky School for the Deaf, 303 S. 2nd St, Danville, KY.
KSD recently became accredited by the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASP), a non-governmental, nonprofit, peer-administered organization of diverse educational programs committed to the highest quality of education for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
The school also celebrated its bicentennial anniversary on April 10 in a week-long series of events.
“For 200 years, KSD has been a model for how to address the educational needs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students,” Glass said. “The school’s recent celebration was a monumental milestone and a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire KSD community over the past two centuries.”
“It is a wonderful and exciting time to be the principal at KSD and to continue our work in providing a quality education to the students of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as we move forward into the future,” he said.
Glass said KDE hopes to have a new principal in place at KSD by July 1.
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