Education minister to meet special-needs groups over schools reopening

Education minister Norma Foley has met with teaching unions to discuss the reopening of schools on February 1.

Education minister Norma Foley is to meet with representative groups about the reopening of special needs schools next week.

Ms Foley is to meet with Inclusion Ireland, Down Syndrome Ireland, and AsIAm on Monday.

It follows a joint open letter from the groups which said families of children with special needs had been "devastated" by the Government U-turn on their reopening.

One parent who spoke to the Irish Examiner described his "total frustration" with how the events unfolded.  

Ger and Sherri O'Donnell with their daughter Michelle.

Ger O'Donnell, a father from Douglas in Cork, said: "Their own research after the last lockdown showed the effect on kids with additional needs."

The schools weren't consulted on it, nobody was consulted on it. If they turned around again and said: 'No, we are opening the schools on Monday', I still wouldn't believe it."

Despite school closures for the vast majority of students, Ms Foley announced on Wednesday that special classes and schools would remain open.

However, she faced opposition from unions and other educational representatives, who said they had not been consulted at all on the logistics of the plans, or around the potential public health implications.

The issue of childcare was also raised as a major issue for special needs assistants, given the school closures next week. The Irish National Teachers Organisation and Fórsa had called for the reopening plans to be paused for further discussions. 

Minister for Education Norma Foley will meet representatives of special needs organisations on Monday following the decision not to reopen schools next week | https://t.co/eLNbcieV4T pic.twitter.com/BRdp4hxX8B

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 8, 2021

Down Syndrome Ireland, AsIAm, and Inclusion Ireland are now due to meet with the minister on Monday. 

The announcement that special schools are to remain closed left families “reeling", according to Down Syndrome Ireland chief executive Barry Sheridan.

They are now “worried about what further regression and distress will be experienced during another potentially lengthy closure period with no plan on how these children can be supported by the State.” 

Enda Egan, Inclusion Ireland chief executive said it is “incumbent” for all groups to work together to find a solution to prevent any further damage being done during this lockdown.

“We are now 10 months into this pandemic, and it is unacceptable that no contingency plans are in place to support students with special educational needs,” he said. 

Adam Harris, AsIAm chief, said: “We are calling for home tuition to be made available to every student enrolled in a special class and school and to students in mainstream education who are unable to learn remotely.” 

Assurances are also needed that teachers will provide one-to-one support remotely, that communication will be clear and consistent, and that the Department of Education will be available to advise parents and support young people, he added.

Meanwhile, children’s rights groups have called on the Government to develop an urgent plan to reopen schools on February 1, and to take action to support vulnerable students.

Barnardos, the Children’s Rights Alliance, the ISPCC, and the National Parents’ Council Primary said that the Nphet advice on schools emphasises the risks closure plays on children’s mental health, development, educational attainment, and overall health.

Chief executive of Barnardos Suzanne Connolly said that many of the children the charity works with live in situations where they face challenges in their homes, such as addiction, mental health difficulties, or violence.

“We are calling for a plan to be made available for reopening of schools on February 1 that also includes immediate measures to ensure children who have already felt the brunt of closures, will not again fall victim,” she said.

Meetings, described as 'constructive', took place between the minister, officials in the Department of Education, and teaching unions to discuss the matter. The Leaving Cert and how it will operate this year, given the loss of class time for Sixth Year students, was also discussed in meetings with the post-primary teaching unions. 

#WATCH Education Minister Norma Foley says she’s determined there’ll be a “traditional” Leaving Cert this summer, following a Government U-turn on plans for a limited reopening of schools@PaulQuinnNews has the latest#VMNews | #COVID19ireland | #COVID19 | #LeavingCert pic.twitter.com/mPhfaCHPTk

— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) January 8, 2021

The minister's plan had also seen Sixth Year students return to their classrooms three days a week from Monday, but they will continue to learn remotely until February 1 at least, after opposition from teachers, principals, and students. 

The JMB, the largest managerial body for secondary schools, said it supported the decision to pause reopening for in-person classes. 

JMB general secretary John Curtis said students "will be provided with a programme of remote teaching and learning until schools can be safely and fully reopened, and we would hope that this can occur in as timely a manner as possible".