School defends record on special needs pupils

A SCHOOL which refused a place in junior infants to a boy with Down Syndrome has defended its record on pupils with special needs.

The board of Lucan Educate Together National School said it refutes any claim of discriminatory practice in its enrolment processes regarding children with learning disabilities.

The parents of five-year-old Christian Medina Finsen claimed their son had been discriminated against by the school when it refused last month to enrol him. The school’s refusal referred to his moderate learning disability and said it had been told the full-time special needs assistant (SNA) recommended for him by a psychologist would not be provided to the school, leading them to believe that the boy’s educational needs could not be met in a mainstream setting.