Council to lobby Minister Bruton

Sligo County Council is putting pressure on the Minister for Education Richard Bruton to reinstate the appeals process for educational supports for children in need.

Under changes to the way special needs supports are to be allocated from next September, parents will no longer be able to directly appeal decisions over the allocation of learning supports for children with special needs.

Instead, schools will receive a set amount of resources and it will be open to schools to appeal those resources.

Cllr Keith Henry tabled a motion on the issue at the July Council meeting, calling on the Council to write to the Minister about it.

“I think it’s a diabolical move by the Minister,” Cllr Henry told members.

“It’s a desperate measure because a number of allocations have been overturned on appeal,” he said.

“The Appeals Process worked. It’s overturned the rights of the parents to appeal,” he added.

He was seconded by Cllr Marie Casserly who said “the needs of the child are vital.”