‘I AM INSPIRED BY THE PARENTS OF PUPILS WITH COMPLEX NEEDS’
As principal of Ballymitty national school, Audrey McCarthy was ‘worried and hopeful’ but ‘ready and willing’ to see if she could provide special ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) classes for children in the coming weeks but in the end, the decision was made for her when the Government changed its mind about sections of schools reopening.
‘Having a glimmer of hope instilled in parents last week when it was announced that special classes/schools would open was tempered with a huge amount of anxiety and worry – hope that we could welcome our little people back and anxiety and worry in relation to how we could safely do this knowing that our communities are rife with the virus,’ she said.
‘ The staff of our ASD classes met on Thursday last and agreed that with Covid-19 numbers running so high nationwide, it would be irresponsible of us to open our special class until the week beginning January 18,’ said Audrey, adding that a final decision was to be made following a review of Covid-19 numbers this coming Friday, January 15.
‘We would also have made that decision based on the numbers of parents who wanted to send their pupils to school. The phonecalls to those parents were to take place last Friday but a U-turn happened and the decision was made for us.’
The principal still made calls to all the parents and said most of them knew it was a dangerous situation to send children back and many of them spoke about the risks to everyone involved – staff, the pupils themselves and their families at home.
‘One parent spoke about how she took out her son’s school jumper by accident and that he jumped with joy thinking he was going back to school. It broke my heart to hear this story knowing that at one point on Thursday last, that parent may have considered sending her son into school and then in the blink of an eye that hope was taken from her.
‘In September when our schools reopened it was very evident from feedback from pupils and parents that nothing can replicate school life and here we find ourselves in Lockdown Number 2 for pupils and Lockdown Number 3 for society.
‘I am inspired everyday by the resilience of the parents of pupils who have complex needs. They constantly battle for everything. There is a battle for appointments and diagnoses at the start of their journeys. There is a battle for Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Psychology. There is a battle for places in special classes and special schools.
‘ These kids should not grow up on a battlefield, they should be given every support needed to ensure that they can partake in society and in life in the same way as their peers in school and elsewhere. Their parents should not have to have glimmers of hope taken away from them because of another poorly thought-out decision.
‘If numbers decrease at the start of February and we can say our communities are safer perhaps then we can revisit special classes and schools opening. I know for a fact, that here in Ballymitty NS, our staff will rise to the challenge because we know that nothing can replicate school life, particularly for pupils with complex special needs.’