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SNAs call for priority access to Covid-19 vaccines
A union representative said many risk passing Covid-19 on to vulnerable students.
Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you
A union representative said many risk passing Covid-19 on to vulnerable students.
“If we get accredited, it feels like you put the work in and you achieved something,” SNA Linda Sullivan said.
Talks are continuing with unions about the reopening of schools for students with special educational needs.
The new guidance comes weeks after staff and pupils have returned to school.
Fórsa was critical of the Department of Education in a submission to the Dáil’s Covid-19 committee.
Minister for Education Joe McHugh said he hopes that schools, teachers and SNAs “feel they can get involved”.
The Department is deferring the introduction of the new model due to disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The initial priority will be in community services for children with a disability.
The Labour Court made the recommendation as a measure to halt the dispute between SNAs and Scoil Muchua.
Employees wore face masks while dealing with the girl, despite her not having a contagious disease.
The Dublin primary school has warned parents that there will be “a serious disruption of services” in September.
This will bring to 15,000 the number of SNAs working in schools – a 42% increase on 2011.
Some 864 assistants will be allocated in the coming days.
An extra 115 special needs assistants will be available in January.
Resource teachers are in addition to the mainstream class teacher.
The dedicated assistants will be employed from September 2015 onwards.
Primary schools are looking to fill 56 SNA positions through the JobBridge scheme.
The overall number of SNAs are up, but some schools have lost out on hours.
A circular by the Department of Education outlines new guidelines that would see children with special needs subjected to reviews to keep their SNA supports.
We are a society, not a collection of economic units where some of our children can be victimised in the name of “value for money”.
The decision has been welcomed by the trade union representing the majority of SNAs.
The National Council for Special Education said the new positions brings this year’s allocation to more than 5,700.
The Tánaiste was speaking at his first Leaders’ Questions of the new Dáil term this morning.
The classes will be based in 113 mainstream primary and post primary schools.
Even as Education Minister Ruairi Quinn “was doing the right thing on resource hours, he refused to back down on Special Needs Assistants”, writes the FF leader.
The planned protests over special needs education will go ahead as planned today, despite the Education Minister’s announcement yesterday, with parents saying the protest is not solely about raising awareness of the single issue of resource hours.
The final Dáil vote on whether to proceed with a constitutional referendum will be held just after 10:30pm this evening.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisationwill protest outside Leinster House next week to show members’ opposition to cuts to special needs assistants in primary school.
Children with special educational needs face a reduction in the amount of time allocated to them from next September. But Eamon Gilmore said this did not amount to a cut.
Dozens of additional special needs classes will be provided across the country for September.
There will be 10,311 special needs assistants allocated to schools across Ireland in September.
Ahead of a planned Dáil protest today, mother Lorraine Dempsey describes the daily struggle faced by parents of children with special needs.
Protesters will mass at Government Buildings next week in the hope of reversing cuts in care for children with special needs.
A motion was also put forward to reverse the cuts to Special Needs Assistants but, notably, Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn was not present to vote against it.