Special Education provision failure down to Government

TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that the Government has consistently failed to prepare contingency plans throughout the COVID pandemic and that this was typified by the failure by the Department of Education to provide special education since the Christmas break.
 
Teachta Crowe said that it was vulnerable students with special education needs that missed out the most when schools closed last Spring and they will be the ones who will suffer most again, through no fault of their own.
 
Teachta Crowe said: “The failure by the Government to bring a return to special education represents a profound failure. The government’s entire approach to this has been characterised by chaos, miscommunication, a failure to properly engage and most of all – a failure to plan and to prepare.
 
“Throughout COVID, we have seen the Government refuse to prepare contingency plans and then express astonishment when Plan A failed. As usual, there were plenty of announcements and self-congratulations ahead of actually getting agreement with workers and unions who rightly fought back in the interests and safety of their members.
 
“Staff, parents, and vulnerable children are the ones that lose out here. They face uncertainty and are justifiably angry at the mishandling of this.
 
“Students with special education needs have missed out the most when schools closed last Spring and they will be the ones who will suffer most again, through no fault of their own.
 
“We need a lot better from Ministers Foley and Madigan besides union bashing and public apologies for inappropriate comments. We need them to resolve this mess once and for all and get these vulnerable children back in to a school setting.”