Closed schools - ‘Our parents are broken’

The Government needs to stop giving parents false hope regarding the re-opening of schools for children with special needs.

That’s according to Leeside special needs worker Karen O’Mahony who runs the Rainbow Club Centre for Autism in Mahon.

Speaking to the Cork Independent, Ms O’Mahony, who has two sons with autism, condemned the Government’s handling of the re-opening calling Tuesday’s announcement a “very sad day for Ireland”.

“I think it's been a mess, the way that it's been handled. Right up until yesterday (Tuesday) families were waiting for calls from schools. Our parents are broken. The vulnerable have again been left behind,” said Ms O’Mahony.

According to Ms O’Mahony, parents of children with autism in Cork are devastated by the false hope given by the Department of Education, which she says has added greatly to an already very difficult situation.

“People don't see what goes on in homes. It's not a sad story we tell so that people feel sorry for us; this is a reality for someone living with a child with special needs,” said Ms O’Mahony.

She added: “We have parents who are getting just two hours sleep per day. It isn't that they need someone to mind their child. That's not what this is about. This is about something that was part of this child's life. It's a support network, not a babysitting service.”

Ms O’Mahony said that a lack of structure and routine in the daily life of a child with autism can lead to aggression and regression in the child’s progress.

She continued: “Regression is a word we don't use lightly. The children are not managing at home because this is not normal for them. So you have a lot of aggressive behaviours going on because the children have no routine, no structure.”

The decision not to open schools for children with special needs was made on Tuesday after the INTO and Fórsa urged the Government to postpone the resumption of services until further discussions could ensure the safety of teachers and pupils.

INTO General Secretary John Boyle said the fundamental problem was conflicting health messaging, which had left many school staff unconvinced that the school environment was safe under current conditions. He added that Monday’s education department webinar, which attracted over 16,000 participants, clearly demonstrated the level of fear and anxiety among school staff.

Cork South Central TD and Sinn Féin spokesperson on Education, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire has urged the Minister of Education Norma Foley to reconvene negotiations immediately to ensure the return of in-school supports for children with special educational needs as soon as possible.

Deputy Ó Laoghaire said: “I have spoken to many families of children with special educational needs in Cork who are understandably incredibly frustrated. They were hopeful given the minister’s promises last week that their children were to be supported during this difficult time and have been left extremely disappointed when that did not happen.”

On Tuesday evening, Minister Foley stressed the importance of providing in-person learning to this vulnerable cohort of children and said that she regrets that that this has not been possible.

“We all understand how vulnerable these children are, and how much they need to be in school. The concerns and fears of teachers and SNAs have been well articulated, and I, along with my officials have listened carefully at every stage of this process,” said Minister Foley.