A second sleepout protest is set to take place, drawing attention to the ongoing crisis in special education. Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins has criticized the government’s lackluster approach to providing adequate school places for children with special needs, describing it as an insult to the families who are tirelessly fighting for their children’s right to an education.
Cummins, the party’s Education spokesperson, said:
“Parents struggling to secure school places for their children with additional needs are being pushed to the streets again to demand their right to an education.”
This protest follows a previous one held just a month ago. The group Equality in Education, which represents over 200 parents of children with special educational needs, organized a 24-hour sleepout outside the Department of Education at the end of February.
“It is shocking that the Minister for Education still cannot guarantee that these children will have a suitable school place by September,” Cummins added. “It is clear that their concerns have not been addressed, and the basic rights of these children are being overlooked.”
Cummins pointed out that the Department of Education is unaware of how many children currently lack a school place because it has not conducted proper research into the issue, despite the urgency of the matter.
“Gathering this data is essential to understanding the full scope of the crisis and should be a top priority,” she said.
Cummins emphasized that the government must take immediate action to address the shortage of school places for children with additional needs across the country.
“I will stand with the parents participating in tomorrow’s protest until their voices are heard and their children’s needs are met,” Cummins stated. “Our education system is failing these families, and swift, decisive action is needed to put an end to this injustice.”
