A group of Waterford mothers made the trip to the Dáil yesterday, calling for more to be done for their children's education.
Families across West Waterford are calling for more special school places, as 22 families in the locality are left without a space for this coming September. A draw took place for the eight special places St. John's in Dungarvan has available, overseen by a local Garda Superintendent.
Pictured above is Denise Thredgold, Rebecca Meehan and Danielle Cleary who's children are left without a space this September.
A peaceful protest attended by hundreds also took place in Dungarvan last week. Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Deputy David Cullinane said the Government needs to do more to secure the additional special school places.
"I want to welcome to the public gallery many of the parents from Waterford who have travelled and who are doing everything possible to ensure that their children will get the appropriate education that they deserve. The facts are that they shouldn't have to lobby, they shouldn't have to travel and they shouldn't have to protest because they have enough to do to look after their children.
"Some of them have left their jobs, it's upended their whole life, and the least the state could do is to ensure that appropriate places are there for their children come September, yet for many of them, that's not the case. We have up to 40 to 50 parents across Waterford City and County who at this point don't know whether their children will have a place.
"They told me that they do everything by the book, and they contacted school after school, in fact, one parent told me of 16 different schools where she got a refusal.
"There's no proper registry of how many children are actually in need. We know from last year in Waterford there's many children who are left behind and I give a commitment to each and every one of those parents, some of whom are not here as well, that I'm not going to leave any of those children behind and Deputy Conor McGuinness and I will make sure that we will, of course, work with government but also hold the government to account to ensure that each and every one of those children gets the education that they deserve."
Sickening
Deputy Cullinane said he was "sickened" by the behavior of the Government for not addressing the issue in the first Dáil sitting in recent weeks, but instead, the Government choose to push through a bill to recruit more ministers and increase their allowances.
"What sickens me", said Deputy Cullinane, "is that last week in this Dáil the first act of this government wasn't to ensure that these children were looked after nor was it to ensure that children with scoliosis get the treatments they deserve. Your first act last week was to bring in a bill for more ministers and allowances for ministers, following on from a grubby dirty deal that you guys did with the Michael Lowry group of independents. That to me sets the tone for this government.
"Your first act should have been to say to those parents in the public gallery and all of those across this state, we are going to move heaven and earth to ensure that your children have the education and the appropriate education that they deserve, not more ministers, not more allowances and jobs for the boys and the girls to be got from you guys last week. So I have to say to you, get your priorities right. We are not going to leave one child behind."
His name is Jay
Sinn Féin TD Conor McGuinness also raised the issue in the Dáil, calling for urgent action from the Government to address the shortfall of special school places in Waterford.
"I want to start by sharing the experience of a constituent of mine who has travelled from Waterford today alongside other mums and dads to be in the public gallery as we debate this motion. Her name is Rebecca Meehan and she's the mother of Jay, one of 20 children in West Waterford that has been left without a special school space.
"I've raised this previously with the Minister of State and twice in the chamber in recent weeks. So rather than simply repeating my call for urgent action to add capacity in this area, I want to give voice to the frustration, worry, resilience, and determination of these 20 families through Rebecca's words."
In the words of Rebecca," Jay is a five-year-old pre-verbal autistic child. He requires access to his primary school education for September 2025 in a special school setting. In terms of school spaces, it seems Jay is just a number but to us he is everything.
"He represents all that is good about the world and has a lot to teach those who are willing to take the time to get to know him. Education is a constitutional right and as his voice, I am determined to be the person to fight for that for him because that is my job as a mother. Just as it is the government's responsibility to protect the vulnerable and to ensure this situation we find ourselves in is remediated with absolute urgency."
Rebecca continues, "There are 19 other families in the same situation in the town of Dungarvan where there is only one school that can provide an appropriate education for our children. This school is at capacity and has been at capacity for the last few years. Our family has and continues to do everything to ensure our little boy thrives in every aspect of his life.
"We've created a world around our son that facilitates development, decreases vulnerability, and ensures he will become as independent as possible for his future. But there seems to be zero expectations for our children and it's simply not good enough. We are not asking for special treatment, we are just asking that our children be treated the same as every other child in the country, entitled to the highest standard of education to suit their needs.
"I refuse to accept that my child will not walk through the gates of the special school in Dungarvan in September 2025. It is his right. As a parent of a child with additional needs, I answer to only one person and he's five years old with big blue eyes and no voice but by God, he will be heard.
More on Déise Today and WLR News today.
For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
