This article is from page 8 of the 2011-06-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
PLANS to cut teaching supports to children with special needs have been criticised by parents in Clare.
The Department of Education and Science announced last week that supports to children would be cut by 10 per cent next year.
Schools and parents groups are seeking clarification from the Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn, on what the impact of the planned cuts will be.
According to Bunratty mother Emer Sherry, parents are “extremely stressed” about the proposed cuts.
Ms Sherry, whose 10-year-old son Jack has cerebral palsy, said, “It appears that children in Clare may be affected by the proposed plan if the withheld 10 per cent of the allocation is needed for unforeseen applications.
“My question to the minister is: can you guarantee that my child, and all other primary and secondary school children with special needs and disabilities in Clare, will have their full complement of resource hours from September on? Resource hours are not inefficiencies that need to be cut; they are essential to ensure full inclusion and access to education for all our children.”
Ms Sherry, who is the Clare representative for the Special Needs Parents Association and the chairperson of Connect Abilities, a parent support group in Southeast Clare, said that the cutbacks “do not make sense”.
“He (Jack) needs five resource hours a week. These cutbacks do not make sense, especially when you think that there are all these inefficiencies in the public service that could be dealt with.”
She added, “It is extremely stressful. It’s going to be the end of September before we know what is going to happen.”
Schools have already submitted applications for next term’s teaching supports. The principal of one of Clare’s largest primary schools said that the implications of the cuts are still being assessed by schools.
Ray McInerney of Ennis National School, added, “One thing is for certain, the people who have the greatest need are going to be hit the hardest.”
John Burns, principal of Barefield national school said the impact of the cutbacks is not yet known.
He added, “Any cutbacks in special needs supports is detrimental. We are still assessing the impact as it relates to Barefield.”