‘My deaf child’s school is denying him an SNA’

Six-year-old Liam Cunneen, a deaf schoolboy from Co Cork, is still receiving only one hour of education a day due to an apparent shortage of special needs resources in his school.

As reported in the Irish Examiner in September, Liam, a student of St Columba’s National School in Douglas, has been on a restricted school day since April.

Having been moved from the deaf unit to the mainstream part of the school because of an improvement in his speech, Liam now needs a full-time special needs assistant (SNA).

His mother, Julie Anne, was told her son would remain on restricted hours until one could be allocated to him.

Just last month, however, in a move that shocked and upset Liam’s mother, St Columba’s admitted a new student to the school and provided her with a full-time SNA.

Julie Anne feels children with special needs already enrolled in St Columba’s should have their needs met before the school takes on another student who requires an SNA.

“While I am happy [this new child] is in school I am deeply upset for my little man,” she said.

She also said she felt the school was “cherry-picking” which students to help and which to exclude.

She feels she now has no other choice but to start legal proceedings.

School principal, Michelle Cashman, said: “In light of the correspondence the school received from the parents in question, I was required to place the matter in the hands of the school’s solicitor and as a result, unfortunately, am in no position to comment.”

A spokesman from the National Education Welfare Board said: “The NEWB are precluded from commenting on specific cases other than to say we are aware of the situation and offering assistance to the family.

“A decision to restrict hours must happen in consultation with the parent and other relevant professionals whose opinion is that it is in the best interest of the child. Reduced hours are short-term solutions for long-term goals.”

Julie Anne said Liam has become increasingly distressed by the situation and is missing out on vital aspects of his schoolgoing years.

“He is missing out on a lot of the social side of school,” she said. “He has no access to lunch time or play time in the yard and if the other children are doing an art project he is not there for it. He is old enough to know he is being excluded. But not old enough to understand why.”

She said since the Irish Examiner first highlighted the case, there has been an overwhelming response from the public about her son’s situation.

“Jonathan O’ Brien TD contacted me, along with other parents, offering their support. They are shocked a child could be cast out of a special unit.”

“Liam’s needs are not being met and the school is not working with the child or the family. This is an issue with the school, not the State.”