SNA Cuts Protest in Portlaoise this Wednesday

SNA’s and parents of children with additional needs will protest at St. Peter and Paul’s church in Portlaoise

“Special Needs Assistants and parents of children with additional needs will protest at St. Peter and Paul’s church in Portlaoise on Wednesday 25th February at 5pm, we join in the numerous protests happening across the country.

As local parents and SNAs, we are very worried about the consequences of potential SNA cuts to our schools.

The Government’s decision to “pause” the SNA allocation review does not resolve the crisis in schools and does not restore confidence of SNAs, parents or teachers. They view the review itself as evidence of systemic failure and a continued unwillingness to address the real drivers of pressure in schools.

After public petitions on the SNA review process gathered tens of thousands of signatures over several days, Minister Naughton announced a pause to the review. The Government’s response cannot simply be the halting of a flawed process. We are calling for a meaningful expansion of SNA provision nationwide and for sustained investment to match the growing level and complexity of need in schools.

Without our SNAs so many children would not be able to access the school curriculum.

School would become a place of stress and anxiety for so many and increase the pressure on teachers and principals, who are already stretching finite resources.

Ensuring our SNAs remain in their posts and we the government actively recruit more to meet the growing demand, means ALL children can participate in school.“

Text Credit: Danielle Lawlor