Some students fear that if the school is closed they may be forced into other schools that can't cater to their needs. Splitting up with friends is also a concern.
"If they close down the school, and I went to school, but my friends went to a different school, that would not make me very happy," said Rebecca Steege, one of seven visually impaired students in the program.
Parent, Jennifer Thompson, said shutting down the school would only be backward progress.
"We've worked hard to get this school up to regulations for them and Braille coded everywhere," said Thompson. "To get moved to a different school and to have to go through that again for our kids it's a struggle for us."
Parents have been handing out flyers in the tight-knit community to make sure people know what's happening. Aside from Imperial Elementary, three other schools in the district are being considered for closure; Riverdale Elementary, Panorama Elementary and Silverado Elementary. All four schools have a total enrollment less than 400 students.
Parents say they understand the budget pinch, but are urging the district to come up with other ways to save money.
"We know we have to save $10-million in this next calendar year," said parent, Jamie Catchpole. "We know it has to come from somewhere but… it doesn't come from a great school."
District officials said there's still studying the cost-cutting proposals, which also include reducing salaries and eliminating after school programs.
"It's a very difficult time," said Orange Unified District spokesperson Victoria Webber. "The state has not passed a budget and looking in that direction we have to plan for the worst case scenario."
Webber said so far no decision has been made to close the schools, but the district must have it all figured out before March 15th.
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