A Co Monaghan mother is calling on the National Council For Special Education (NSCE) to provide an SNA for her son or else he will be unable to attend school this coming September.
Grainne McElvaney says her five year old Sonny "thrives" in a mainstream setting around neuro-typical children with full-time support.
Back in November, Grainne started contacted schools and to her surprise many did not want to bring NCSE out for SNA reviews.
However, they found a school that welcomed Sonny with open arms from day one.
Grainne contacted the NCSE before the New Year to ensure that an SNA would be in place for Sonny in September.
Despite this, the NCSE informed Grainne that they wouldn’t be out for an assessment until October time at least.
The local mother shared her "disbelief" over this response, stating that her son is a "flight risk" and if he goes in on day one, escapes and gets killed on the road who stands over that?
The NSCE agreed to come out and observe Sonny within his pre-school setting, according to Grainne they observed with their own two eyes Sonny opening the classroom door and running away, not responding to his name, his hyper mobility when climbing stairs due to muscle fatigue, being spoon fed and changed yet it was suggested that instead of being allocated a one to one SNA, that Sonny would share an SNA that is already placed in the school and supporting a child with complex medical needs and also requires one to one support.
This is something Grainne believes would put the safety and well-being of both pupils at severe risk due to their individual needs and the high level of support they both require.
Grainne told Northern Sound; "The idea that one person could support these two children effectively and safely is absolutely ridiculous. From what I have read recently, schools have been required to update their policies to ensure that they are inclusive.
"That sounds wonderful, but then, just like this school has done for us by opening its doors with a warm welcome only to then be denied the support required.
"My son gets one chance at starting school, he gets one chance at being six years old, he deserves and is entitled to a fair education. He deserves, requires and is entitled to a full-time SNA. I will not stand by and allow a broken system give him a false start to school.
"We have worked around the clock over the last four years to achieve everything we have achieved with him, with absolutely no support from this state or the bodies within it and I will not risk regression or setbacks because the NCSE doesn't have support in place. This is a sink or swim scenario and I will not allow my son to sink because at the end of the day we his family are the only ones who care."
