Rochester resident Ryan Commerson said he will start eating again after meeting in Flint Monday with Jeremy Hughes, deputy superintendent of the Michigan Department of Education.

Commerson, who has lost 15 to 20 pounds by drinking only juice, water and hot chocolate since Nov. 21,said he will continue his protest outside MSD off Miller Road near Hammerberg Road.

While Hughes didn't agree to all of Commerson's demands - including the removal of MSD Principal Cecelia Winkler - he did agree to form an advisory committee to study the education concept that Commerson and others would like to see at the school, Commerson said.

The meeting was in response to Commerson's protest and requested by state Board of Education Vice President John Austin.

"The meeting went well," said Commerson in an e-mail to The Flint Journal late Monday. "I agreed to stop the hunger strike, but not the protest. I will continue to protest and to call for the resignation letter from Cece Winkler."

Commerson, 30, wants the state to hire a deaf principal and lawmakers to pass a deaf bill of rights.

He also is pushing the school to change its educational philosophy from a "total communication" method to a "bilingual, bicultural" method.

The main difference in the two methods is that bilingual and bicultural places more emphasis on teaching American Sign Language by having staff with higher ASL skill levels.

Commerson's protest has gained national attention in the last week. Christy Smith, a hard-of-hearing participant in the sixth season of the reality TV series "Survivor" in 2003, visited for two days last week.

The protest has divided the deaf community with many MSD alumni opposed to protesting with a hunger strike as well as the disruption of students' education at the school, said MSD Alumni President Freida Morrison.

"I felt heart broken instantly (when learning of the protest). I didn't see a big problem at MSD," Morrison said.

Morrison said the alumni group and parents have been working with school leaders in recent months to do some of the things Commerson is calling for in his protest, including working toward a "bilingual and bicultural" educational philosophy.

Last week, dozens of the students at MSD walked out to join Commerson, and 43 eventually were suspended for skipping school. Most of the students returned to school Monday after serving their suspensions, Winkler said.

The family of one boy withdrew their child from the school in response to the protest, Winkler said.

By Matt Bach
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