by Catherine Delahunty
The Government has decided to close two residential schools for disabled students, McKenzie and Salisbury. They claim the principle of inclusion and that students will get wrap-around support in the mainstream. I would really like to believe this but right now it’s hard.
A family I have been working with have been in the media this week because when Halswell Residential School was closed after the earthquake their son came home to be mainstreamed. They were refused ORRS support for him on the grounds that he didn’t meet the criteria. I am working on what this means given that he met the criteria for a place in Halswell. The consequences of this lack of support have been dire for this young man and his family. A family member has been hospitalised because he can become violent when stressed and the situation is now extremely stressful.
I want inclusion to work but if families are going to have prove the needs all over again and then risk refusal of support inclusion isn’t going to work! I hope cost cutting is not the real driver of these changes because even in monetary terms it’s going to cost more to pick up the pieces of systemic failure. Wrap around has to mean real front line support staff on real wages for all students with moderate and severe needs. Otherwise we undermine the opportunity for positive inclusion and for one family at least that is already happening!
Published in Justice & Democracy | Society & Culture by Catherine Delahunty on Fri, September 7th, 2012
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on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
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The public school system needs to specialize more. When you take away schools that are all for handicap children you’re taking away that specialization. The skill set of the teachers is not as strong for those specific types on children. This is why I trust business over government.
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Closing this school is a shameful act of cowardice, Hekie Parata. Shame on you.
You know not what you do.
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It is clearly motivated by cost cutting. It has nothing to do with offering a better education to the students.
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It is impossible to close a special without placing the special needs required in a mainstream school for the use of inclusions BEFORE the special school has closed. The transistion from special school to mainstream requires far more planning and resources before transition can occure. For example how will the school cirriculum be implemented for special kids in a mainstream environment. This to me appears to have not been considered. Even the environmental changes to schools need to be made (eg:fencing)just to keep these kids safe in a mainstream environment. When will these changes to mainstream schools be made? Let me guess. After the first lot of children forced out of there safe and happy productive learning environment start to fail. Yes thats right. The planning has not yet been put into place before the special school is shut down. As a parent with a child with a disability, i can tell you my daughter would jump the fence at anystage during the day and just walk out into her own little world to be either, lost,stolen or run over. She would distrup other students because she is unable to sit still and without a special teacher aid and one on one support (FROM DAY ONE)she would kill herself due to her inabbility to understand danger. Day one minister. Get your mainstream organised before shutting special schools. This idea is outrageous and irresponsible.
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Residential schools are being replaced with “wrap around services”. The wrap around services will be provided by Special Education Staff and some of those who lost their jobs in the special schools. Special Education professionals and support workers are employed by the Ministry of Education. $25 million was cut from the Ministry of Education budget “to improve frontline services”. Special Education has had funding cuts and the remaining staff cannot manage their growing caseloads. While residential schools had full-time staff who remained on site to meet the needs of the students the same students now have to be supported in their local school. The “wrap around services” are provided by staff who travel from school to school and much of their time is taken up with travel. Many children with high needs are finding themselves back in the schools that had difficulty meeting their needs and now the support for them will be even less than before. Many of the high needs students will suffer, the schools will struggle, Special Education Staff are already over worked, families are stressed, the government saves money….
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http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/wrap-around-services-unraveling.html
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“…the government saves money…” now. It will cost the next governments much more but of course the National government is not known for thinking ahead.
Trevor.
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Sprout says “Special Education has had funding cuts ”
Yet treasury figures for spending on special education are –
2007 $263m
2008 $278m
2009 $290m
2010 $297m
2011 $310m
2012 $321m
2013 $338m (budgeted)
We are currently spending more in than any govt in the history of NZ. And it’s gone up every year.
The facts of actualy spending don’t really fit with what surely must be a organised campaign by the Green Party of trying to deceive the public that education funding is being cut.
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