Paul Murphy: Resources Must Precede Special Education Classes
Paul Murphy spoke in debate on amendment 7, arguing that compelling schools to open special education classes is insufficient unless the necessary resources are in place. He supported Deputy O'Leary's amendment requiring a report to establish whether resources - including therapists and HSE supports - are available.
Main argument
Paul Murphy said it is not enough to have the legal power to force schools to open special education classes if those classes lack the resources to serve children, teachers and schools properly. He warned against simply converting a room or library into a special class and ticking a box without the supports needed for adequate education.
Ministerial objection and response
Murphy summarised the Minister's objection as twofold - that some resources are provided by the HSE rather than the Department of Education and that imposing the requirement could cause delay. He responded that the Minister could have amended the bill to remove HSE elements and that the amendment under discussion only requires a report, not an immediate halt to action.
Details of the amendment
He outlined Deputy O'Leary's amendment as requiring a report to assess whether necessary resources are in place to provide children with an adequate education. Murphy argued that a holistic view is appropriate, and that the Department of Education and the NCSE should consider supports allocated by the HSE, such as therapists, when assessing readiness.
Enforcement and practical consequences
Murphy accepted that where schools clearly have resources but refuse to open classes they should be directed to do so, but stressed that in many cases the resources do not exist. He cautioned that without proper staffing and therapeutic supports, opening a classroom will not deliver the educational outcomes children need.
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I just want to briefly speak to amendment 7 which I think gets to the heart of the issue here in the sense that it's not enough just to have the power to compel schools more rapidly to open special education classes but the resources have to be in place so that these classes actually work for the children for the teachers for the schools and so I hear the Minister's objection which is kind of twofold one is oh okay well some of the resources being referred to here are kind of HSE not Department of Education and secondly I think it would kind of delay the process or or whatever but you know what's actually outlined in the amendment here which is a very good amendment by Deputy O'Leary is the fact that a report would have to be produced you know simply a report has to be produced to say are the necessary resources in place to provide children with the adequate education or not and that's about saying that it isn't good enough to be able to just say okay turn that room over there turn that library turn that cupboard into a special education class and we'll tick the box to say okay well we have another special education class now like that's the point and so you know what I mean if the schools or principals or boards of management that are saying when they very clearly have the resources no we still don't want to open the school that's that's not on they absolutely should be able to be directed to open the school but the the resources do have to come and certainly what I'm hearing is that in a lot of cases the resources don't exist and therefore you're just talking about a classroom which isn't therefore providing what we what we need so I hear I do hear what the minister is is saying and but the two things I'd say in response one you if if if the objection was in terms of okay but some of this stuff isn't provided by the department of education the minister could have addressed that by means of an amendment to remove and those elements here but but secondly I actually don't think that that holds water because we're only talking about a report here and it is appropriate that we should have a holistic and the department and the NCSE should have a holistic view of children's education which of course includes um resources in terms of therapists etc that are allocated by the the HSE rather than the department of of education and yep
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