‘Cruelty’ - Longford families ‘exhausted’ in search for special education school places
The issue was raised by Longford-Westmeath TD Sorca Clarke during a recent Dáil debate
Families in County Longford have been left “exhausted” in their search for a special education school place, the Dáil has heard.
The issue was raised by Longford-Westmeath Sinn Féin TD Sorca Clarke during a recent debate on special education.
Deputy Clarke said: “Reading through some of the messages and emails that I got before this motion, I was struck with the very real thought, namely, what exactly does the State have against children who require additional support?
“The fact that the Taoiseach called the Save our SNAs campaign flawed has done nothing but make that thought concrete in my mind.
“These are children who are denied school places and bused out of their own communities past their local schools for hours because the Government failed to plan.”
She went on to outline the feelings being experienced by families who are struggling to find a school place for their child.
“In Longford-Westmeath, families are exhausted. They are exhausted by a system that treats their child's additional needs as an inconvenience and exhausted by a special education system being redesigned by stealth.
“The Government has removed complex needs from a set of allocation criteria. This was not reform; it was rationing.
“The Government restricts SNA access through outdated rules. This is not efficiency; it is cruelty wrapped in bureaucracy.”
Deputy Clarke called on the Government to take action and to establish an Oireachtas committee to examine the issue.
“Children and families do not need another announcement or review. They need accountability and action.
“The Government must establish that all-party Oireachtas committee on the future of inclusive education and bring parents, teachers, SNAs, therapists, school leaders and educators into a public forum.
“There should be no more spin, no more cuts by stealth and no more hiding behind announcements and re-announcements.”
She concluded by also calling for the scrapping of Junior and Leaving Certificate examination fees, as well as planned increases to the school transport fares.