• why are we as a country not following the science? NPHET says schools are safe
• Government are instead taking instructions from teachers unions instead of following the science
• We are the only western country to exclude children with disabilities from schools
• thousands of children with disabilities have to wait until April 12th to return, how is that equality when they are so disproportionately affected and cannot engage in remote learning, how is that inclusion?

1. There are thousands of children with special education needs who have not returned to school
2. There are currently 300,000 more children back in school this week majority non SEN (special education needs) 
3. We have made formal complaints with the ombudsman for children 
4. We have been told inclusion Ireland, ASIAM, Down syndrome Ireland have requested meetings with Minister Madigan with no luck for an excessive amount of time having been ignored
5. Our children’s constitutional as well as international rights Ireland has signed up to with the UN convention of the rights of the child have been violated. 
6. Minister madigan does not think our children have high needs, she recently said children in mainstream schools are children with low needs and as a consequence has opened special schools and units but left our thousands of children with disabilities varying between low to very high needs, many children who simply could not get placements in special schools or units, without school and who cannot engage in remote learning. 
7. The supplementary program is dangerous during a pandemic and many high needs children simply cannot avail of the program; from the inability to engage at the times offered (outside of school hours), or because inviting teachers into carers homes that travel between up to 4 different households during a pandemic is too dangerous to invite in, getting a teacher is also a major problem; most likely because it is dangerous during a pandemic so the uptake is low as a consequence from both the teachers view and the carers view. It is not a good enough resolution for children not being in a sanitized ventilated school.

Our children; especially the high needs children in mainstream schools suffer greatly from not being present in school. The regression in skills and actual physical damage by way of laptops triggering seizures and illness is greater than the majority of the children who have already returned this week. It will also take our children significantly more time to actually settle back and regain the skills lost. We do want the government to honour their promise to prioritize children with special education needs. 

during a pandemic where we cannot gather together and protest. So we need to protest online!

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