Labour education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny TD has called on the Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton, to urgently explain what he has described as “an alarming cull of Special Needs Assistants in mainstream schools”. After Fórsa trade union confirmed that dozens of schools were notified last week of reductions to their SNA allocations from next September. Deputy Kenny said the Minister must immediately clarify the policy behind these decisions, warn schools and families what further cuts may be coming, and act now to protect vital supports for children with additional needs.
Deputy Kenny said: “This is deeply concerning and it has sent shockwaves through school comm-unities across the country. Dozens of mainstream schools have now been told they will lose Special Needs Assistants from September, with no clear explanation from the Minister about why these cuts are happening or what policy is driving them. “At the centre of every single one of these decisions is a child. That should always be the fundamental thought when decisions about edu-cational supports are made, yet that reality appears to have been completely lost here. SNAs play a critical role in helping children participate in school life, supporting learning, communication, and basic day to day needs. When those supports are taken away, it is children who pay the price.
“Schools are already under huge pressure, principals and teachers are scrambling to plan for the next school year, and parents are left anxious and angry about what this will mean for their children.
“Cutting SNAs has real, immediate consequences for children and families, and it undermines any claim that this Government supports inclusive education.
“My constituency office is receiving a growing volume of emails from parents, SNAs and schools who are deeply worried about what these cuts will mean.
“I plan on visiting all schools affected across my own constituency this week. The Minister must urgently explain the policy behind these decisions, set out exactly how many SNAs are being cut, and guarantee that no child will lose the support they need to access education. We need full transparency on SNA allocations now,” he said.
An online public meeting on this issue will be held tonight Thursday at 7pm. The link to join the meeting is secure.labour.ie/page/186713/data/1