Students and staff at St. Mary's School for the Deaf in Buffalo took to the streets on Wednesday, protesting the school's closed door policy and the recent dismissal of a popular teacher.

"The students told me the story about Ms. Brewer being fired," said school alumni Jacob Leffler through an interpreter. "It made the alumni mad and we were feeling that it wasn't right."

Student and parents have little recourse because while the school is funded by public tax money, a private board of directors oversees the school and is not required to comply with the state's Freedom of Information Law.

"In my opinion, I'm a taxpayer," said Bill Steger, who has worked at the school for 29 years as a speech therapist. "We should know what's going on."

"This school is for the students," said Alex Shepard. "We should have the right to know what's going on, why things are happening."

School officials declined to comment.