A Co Monaghan councillor has expressed her dismay and disappointment at Minister Helen McEntee's response to queries raised last month in regards to ASD units and a lack of SNA support for Sonny's Dream.
Cllr Bronagh McAree previously called on the National Council for Special Education and the Minister for Education Helen McEntee to ensure that every school in Ireland has adequate SNA cover.
This would ensure that local school children with ASD who thrive in a mainstream setting could go to the school of their choice come September.
However, Cllr McAree has criticised Minister McEntee over her handling of the situation. She says for the Minister to respond by saying that the motion was inappropriately addressed to her is extremely disappointing. "In response to our motion calling for adequate SNA cover in Co Monaghan, Minister McEntee stated the motion was inappropriately addressed to her department and said it should be re-directed to the Minister for Safer Special Education and Inclusion, Michael Moynihan. We did write to him and we received a reply which we were grateful for but in his reply he stated that the NCSE was responsible and it's like we are going around in circles. To receive a response from the Minister of Education stating that she wasn't responsible for SNA cover would be laughable if it wasn't so insulting to families. "
Cllr McAree says "we're going around in circles" with parents still no further along when it comes to knowing if their child can attend mainstream school with a one-to-one SNA support come September.
