Special-needs school chief urges Government to curb disputes

THE head of services at a Dublin special-needs school, where nurses and teachers are engaged in a power struggle, has urged the Government to draw up protocols to prevent similar disputes elsewhere.

Walter Freyne, director of services at St Vincent’s School, Navan Road, said the Government had been warned last March that special-needs schools could not operate under the same rules as mainstream schools.

“At a conference of 58 organisations representing the mentally handicapped, the Government’s representatives were told that clear direction was needed on how to embrace and deal with the diverse needs of children attending these schools, many of whom are profoundly mentally handicapped.