Donegal TDs call for reversal of SNA cuts and end to ‘disastrous’ review process

Donegal Sinn Féin TDs Deputy Pádraig MacLochlainn and Deputy Pearse Doherty have warned that a huge amount is at stake as schools face the prospect of losing vital Special Needs Assistant supports for the upcoming school year.  

Sinn Féin’s motion, which will be debated in the Dáil on Tuesday evening, calls on the government to immediately reverse all SNA cuts and abandon the disastrous SNA review in its entirety. 

The Deputies said the government must end the cruel uncertainty families, SNAs and schools are facing and issue a direct apology to every school, SNA and family that was informed of a pending cut. 

Teachta MacLochlainn said the Government must stand with children with additional needs and their Special Needs Assistants and support Sinn Féin’s Dáil motion this Tuesday evening to abandon the cruel SNA cuts and a disastrous review process that has thrown schools into chaos.

“Across the country, nearly 200 schools have been notified of reductions to their SNA allocations for the next school year.”

“These changes flow from the National Council for Special Education review, which saw up to 584 schools' allocations reviewed, with 194 told their supports would be cut. That national picture is alarming and shows that this Government’s approach lacks any meaningful understanding of the daily reality in our classrooms.”

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Teachta Doherty added: “Here in Donegal, the threat of cuts is not abstract, with one school telling me they could lose 4 SNAs from next September. And parents and staff across Donegal are still left in the dark about what the future holds for these essential supports.”

“SNAs don’t just meet ‘primary care needs’, they are vital to a child’s ability to participate in school, to succeed, and to be included. A pause in this review does not resolve the uncertainty for families, Principals, or SNAs who wake up every day worried about what comes next.”

“A pause is not a solution. It is a temporary sticking plaster on a policy that still threatens supports critical to children’s education and wellbeing.”

“On Tuesday evening, Sinn Féin’s motion gives every TD the chance to take a stand, to oppose these cuts, to protect the inclusive education that every child deserves, and to send a message that Ireland will never turn its back on children with additional needs and the SNAs who make their education possible.”