'Will he be happy to go back?' Parents concerned about return to in-person special education
Cathy Reynolds, from Dublin, said she is nervous about her son David’s return to school.
As special schools begin to reopen for in-person learning today, families of children attending say the focus now must be on restoring their children’s routines.
Many families the spoke to say they are worried about how their children will adapt to attending special schools on alternate schedules due to the 50% capacity limits.
They have also called for detailed plans to be put in place for their children in the event of further school closures due to lockdowns.
Cathy Reynolds, from Dublin, said she is nervous about her son David’s return to school. David, who just turned 13, attends a special school in Bray. He is due to attend school for just two days before the mid-term break.
"To see David have behavioral issues has been really distressing," Cathy said.
“All I want for him is for him to receive an education that’s appropriate to his ability. He has missed out on so much during the course of the pandemic, that's really my main concern. It is not about babysitting or respite.
After the extended school closure, she is now "so scared" about his return, she said.
"Will he be happy to go back? And if he’s happy to go back for the two days, will he understand why he now has to wait nine more days?
"I am grateful that the kids are going back, and I know there are some parents who aren't sending their kids back. It's a difficult decision that my husband and I had to make. It wasn't an easy decision.
"At some stage, we just had to say: 'our child deserves even a couple of days of trying to get back into a normal routine'."
The unknown about when a normal school schedule will resume is "discombobulating", she said, adding that consistency and routine are key for children with special educational needs. "During the whole of the pandemic, this has been lacking."
Another father who spoke to the asked not to be named as he is fearful of “driving a wedge” between his family and his daughter’s special school, which, he said, has gone “above and beyond" to support her this lockdown.
"I don't see this as an 'us-versus-them' between parents and teachers," he said.
"My daughter is losing life skills that were hard-fought and hard-won over the last 10 years. Of course, I am worried about it.
"My daughter is now due to go to school every second day. That's no good for her. She needs consistency, routine."
His daughter has been "reasonably ok" during this lockdown, he said.
"But when she has a meltdown it's because she's missing school.
"She's asking hourly every day about school but [in January] I didn't tell her she was due to go back."
Special schools should not close again, and a detailed plan needs to be in place in case of a further lockdown, he said.
"The only country in mainland Europe where these kids were abandoned. Government messed it up again. These schools should have never been closed. They should have been kept open in March, April, May, June, July last year."
