Parents call on Minister for Education to reverse Castlebar cutbacks

Pickets loom over special needs cuts


• Parents issue emotive appeal against proposed cuts at Castlebar School
• Minister for Education yet to comment

Edwin McGreal

Parents of students at St Anthony’s Special School have made an emotive and heartfelt appeal against the planned cutbacks of four Special Needs Assistants at the Castlebar based school and vowed to picket DΡil Eireann to stop the cuts.
“We are refusing to accept this,” said Geraldine Hastings, whose daughter Louise is a student at St Anthony’s and requires one-to-one care with a Special Needs Assistant at the school.
“The Government clearly think they can target vulnerable people like this because the children cannot stand up for themselves. We will stand up for them. I and all the parents of children with special needs would prefer if our children were independent but they are not and they need the care they are getting, no less.
”Louise, my daughter, was born healthy but then developed epilepsy at three months and her brain was unable to cope. We promised her then that we would care for her and we have. People ask me ‘how do you do it?’ We do it because we love her from the bottom of our hearts.”
Meanwhile it is believed that St Brid’s Special School in Castlebar may be suffering cutbacks at the end of the school year, although school principal Cathy Craughwell couldn’t confirm this yesterday.
St Anthony’s principal Fiona Byrnes received visits from both Government TD Beverley Flynn and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in recent days as well as a petition against the cutbacks which now numbers over 3,500 names.
“How can the Government face the parents of these children if these cuts go through,” Enda Kenny told The Mayo News yesterday. “What they are trying to do is obscene. This is what you get from a Government trying to be macho about spending cuts in the budget but this is the effect. They should be ashamed of themselves.
“If Taoiseach Cowen was down here I would introduce him to parents who he expects to lose care from Special Needs Assistants and see where his compassion is then.”
In an emotion-filled public meeting last Wednesday at the school several parents gave their reaction to events. Gillian Fitzpatrick, whose son SeΡn is a student at the school, was close to tears as she described her feelings on hearing about the proposals.
“I’m devastated. My son SeΡn has a right to an education. This country is as much my son’s as it is Batt O’Keeffe’s or any property developer.”
Chairperson of the Board of Management at St Anthony’s, former county councillor Johnny Mee, described the plans to cut four SNAs as a ‘cruel and uncaring decision’.
“Our children cannot speak for themselves but our voices will echo. Batt O’Keeffe ought to examine his conscience, if he has one. I will personally picket DΡil Eireann on this if I have to.
Fianna FΡil councillors in attendance, Achill’s Michael McNamara and Cong’s Damien Ryan both said they would stand loyal with the people of Mayo on this issue, Cllr Ryan adding he was not afraid of any adverse publicity his support of the meeting might bring.
A number of Fine Gael representatives stated their party has plans for a Private Members Bill on the issue and Enda Kenny confirmed this would be the case, although not until the full picture becomes apparent.
“There is a survey being conducted by the Irish Primary Principals Network which will give a factual account of where the cuts are due to come in. That will be ready in two to three weeks and when it is Fine Gael will table a Private Members Motion in the DΡil which will require a vote to see where people stand.”
There are currently thirteen SNAs at St Anthony’s along with forty students and six teachers.