Local mother desperate plea to NCSE over son's 'right to education'. A Co Monaghan mother is calling on the National Council For Special Education (NSCE) to provide an SNA for her son. Otherwise, he will be unable to attend school this coming September.
Grainne McElvaney says five year old Sonny "thrives" in a mainstream setting around neuro-typical children with full-time support.
Back in November, Grainne began contacting schools. To her surprise many did not want to bring NCSE out for SNA reviews.
Despite this, the family 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.
The local mother shared her "disbelief" over this response. Indeed, stating that her son is a "flight risk". Moreover, 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.
Jodie Curran has been speaking with Grainne who says the thought of her son not being able to attend school in September is "hard to comprehend" and is "yet another blow."
