Families believe children are being punished for behaviour linked to disabilities, authority warned

A closeup of an empty classroom with a pot of coloured pencils in red pots. The classroom is in a school in Hexham in the North East of England.

Families believe their children are being punished for behaviour linked to their disabilities at a Cork special school with a pattern of suspensions, the National Disability Authority (NDA) has been warned.

The Oireachtas committee on disability met with representatives from the authority on Wednesday to discuss inclusion education.

As previously highlighted by the Irish Examiner, parents at Carrigaline Community Special School have raised concerns about suspensions at the school, as well as a lack of therapeutic supports.

The school issued 17 official suspensions out of a maximum student body of just 48 in three years.

Its patron, Cork Education and Training Board, told the Irish Examiner it "has engaged intensively with parents around their concerns".

On Wednesday, Social Democrats TD for Cork East Liam Quaide told the NDA there was a "huge effort" to set up the school, which opened in 2021.

These were very "hard-fought" school placements for the families, he said.

"This pattern of suspensions was of such concern that the Taoiseach himself was asked to comment on it during a diplomatic trip abroad. 

"There's been a very comprehensive level of engagement with the school," he added.

"Despite all of that, these issues persist."

"It's a source of huge distress for families that, in their view, behaviours that are intrinsically linked to the children's disabilities are being responded to with punitive measures."

Resource issues with the school have been well documented, Mr Quaide added.

Dr Rosalyn Tamming, head of policy with the NDA, said she was not aware of the specifics of the school. 

However, in general, the Department of Education and the National Council For Special Education (NCSE) take suspensions "very seriously", she added. 

Challenging behaviours are often "communication mechanisms" that might not be understood or properly regulated, she said. 

"The cultural change is around understanding that, and teachers and SNAs is being trained to support children and help regulate them in order that they can stay in school." 

An inclusive education approach is not one that suspends children, she added.

"It's embracing children and supporting them to be able to be included in that school and to participate and take part." 

"I think we're on a journey of cultural change around this, and we're obviously not there yet," she added.