A HEARTBROKEN mum told how she has been forced to leave her job after 26 years to home-school her son after receiving 18 rejection letters from special schools that are too full.
Hundreds of parents of children with additional needs took their fight for school places to the Dail on World Autism Day as they camped outside the gates of Leinster House in protest.
Families held a huge protest outside the Dail[/caption]
Jasmine Graham and Adam Rock and their children joined families from around the country outside the Dail[/caption]
Families held signs with photos of their children and chanted “let them in” as they pleaded with politicians to put resources in place to open more special schools across the country.
Parents came from across the country to have their voices heard outside the Dail, with families from Donegal, Cork and Waterford all attending the protest.
One mum, Susanne O’Brien, who works beside Leinster House, told the Irish Sun that she has been forced to leave her job of 26 years to home-school her child because there are no school places.
Susanne, from Dublin, has already received 18 rejection letters from schools that are too full as she tries to find a place for her six-year-old son Jack who is autistic.
Fighting back tears, Susanne told the Irish Sun: “The irony is I work 100 yards down the road from here for 26 years in the same employment and I’ve just had to hand in my notice in work to home-school my child.
“It hurts and it hurts knowing that he just thrives on the routine. I don’t feel equipped to home educate. It’s way outside my realm but I have to. He is the most important thing to us and the job comes second.”
Jack was last year given an exemption to stay in pre-school for an extra year because there were no appropriate primary school places available for him.
Susanne fears that her son could regress if he doesn’t get to continue his education in an appropriate school.
She said: “His pre-school are absolutely fantastic and they are the reason why he has come on so much.
“We’re in our second year of no school place so the thought of him regressing is real.
‘HE WILL REGRESS’
“He strives and thrives on routine and his schedule in school and the thought of not having that. He will regress.
“We’ve done 18 applications and they were all rejections. We’ve just heard of two schools due to open classes so when they open we will apply as well so we’re living in a prayer really.”
Susanne is pleading with the Government to take urgent action to address the situation.
She said: “They need to realise the urgency. If I’m honest I think it is gone beyond for Jack this year and probably some of the other kids.
“It is not fixable from now until September. In all honesty, they just need to put everything behind this.
“I understand we have a housing crisis and I understand they are all about the tariffs and everything that Trump is about to unload on us but these are kids in your country, your citizens that are absolutely being failed left right and centre.”
LENGTHY WAITING LISTS
Emily McPhillips Sheridan, 20, from Co Cavan is autistic and attended today’s protest to highlight the impact of the lengthy waits for school places that are leaving children behind.
She told the Irish Sun: “I myself am autistic and I didn’t get a suitable school place until I was 18.
“The detrimental impacts that not having the school places have – I don’t think the Government will ever understand it.
“Provide the resources now. These autistic children and young people – it is not just affecting their social wellbeing, it is affecting their mental well being, it is affecting family life.
“These amazing young children are Irish citizens. They have a constitutional right to an education and I’m urging the Government to please listen.
“Please, please allocate these school places now.”
REPEATED REJECTIONS
Anita Daynes from Tallaght in Dublin has been trying to find a special school place for her seven-year-old son Leighton but has been repeatedly met with rejection.
Anita is part of the Equality in Education group run by parents that set up the protest and has been campaigning for more special school places across the country.
Anita was joined by her family for support at the protest with Leighton’s older brother Kallen, nine, telling the Irish Sun that the Government needs to step up to provide a school place for his brother.
“The irony is I work 100 yards down the road from here for 26 years in the same employment and I’ve just had to hand in my notice in work to home-school my child.”
Susanne O’Brien
Kallen said: “Just because he’s autistic doesn’t make a difference. He’s still the same as all of us.”
Leighton – who is autistic and has a moderate intellectual disability – currently goes to a mainstream school with the help of an SNA but teachers and doctors believe he needs to be in a special school to thrive.
Anita told the Irish Sun: “If I have to go out and buy a school chair and desk myself – he will be going to one of these schools in September. I don’t care what I have to do.
‘AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE’
“They need to open a few more schools. We’re one of the richest countries in the world and I have to fight for an education for my child. That is an absolute disgrace.”
One of the campaign organisers Charlotte Cahill – who is fighting for a school place for her daughter Cyra – told the protest that there are hundreds of children across the country who have no school place for this coming September.
The group met with Education Minister Helen McEntee and her officials last week as the Government tries to ensure there will be enough school places available.
Politicians from across the Dail attended the protest today including Mary Lou McDonald, Ivana Bacik, Cian O’Callaghan, Barry Heneghan, Pearse Doherty, Darren O’Rourke, David Cullinane, Rory Hearne, Ciaran Ahern, Gary Gannon and Paul Murphy.
Independent Senator Tom Clonan told the protest about his own experience as a parent of a child with additional needs and urged the Government to pass legislation to provide children with appropriate supports.
‘NOTHING LESS WILL DO’
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou told the protest: “There must be places for every child come September – nothing less will do.”
While Social Democrat TD Rory Hearne told the crowd that their campaign was having an impact and is forcing the Government into action.
The issue of special school places was raised on several occasions with the Taoiseach inside the Dail today, with Labour leader Ivana Bacik stating that children are being failed on therapies and services as well as school places.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said that every child has a right to an education and he intends to vindicate that right with 372 extra special school classes sanctioned for this year.
He said: “Ministers McEntee and Moynihan are working flat out with the National Council for Special Education and with the Department of Education to ensure a school place for every child this September.
“Progress is being made. Overall in special education there has been exponential investment and growth but that is not enough for the parent who today hasn’t certainty in relation to next September in terms of a school place.”
Parents are pleading for urgent action to address the situation[/caption]
