A principal of a school for children with autism pleads for action to deal with rotting floors and vermin infestations

The principal of a school for children with autism has demanded that Minster for Education Norma Foley urgently address a litany of problems from “sinking” floors to rats and mice coming through the walls and says its please for help have been ignored for years.

Stepping Stones Special School principal Dolores Cullinane wrote to Ms Foley in the hope that years of pleas for help might finally be addressed.

The call for urgent repairs and renovations at the south Meath school are not new.

Speaking to the Meath Chronicle almost a year ago, Dolores Cullinane said: “The situation here has reached crisis levels, staff and parents alike are at breaking point."

"The desperate conditions in the school has led to 137 incidents of challenging behaviour causing damage to school property, assaults on staff and self injury by pupils since the previous September."

Stepping Stones Special School is a special school for students with autism and complex needs and comprises two prefabs - the larger one dating back to 2005 is divided into five classrooms. It hosts 30 children with autism and complex needs, five teachers and 26 special needs assistants.

The current school building was provided in 2005 as a short term measure. The prefabricated building is now 15 years old and at the time was designed to accommodate pre school and primary school aged pupils. The classrooms are approximately 27 square metres and a standard primary school classroom is 80 square metres. The wear and tear on the school building over the last 15 years has taken its toll. This has been exacerbated with a large cohort of senior students trying to learn in a cramped, overcrowded environment.

Ms Cullinane explained the school had a visit from Minister of Education, Joe McHugh and Minister Regina Doherty in March 2019, and that the school was sanctioned for an additional 80 square meter prefab for a sensory room.

Nothing came of those visits.

A meeting was scheduled for Thursday the 30th January last with the Building and Planning Unit, however the principal was contacted on the 29th to be informed officials were unable to attend with no follow up date available at this time.

Dolores Cullinane added: “The positive atmosphere that was so prevalent within the school despite the desperate conditions has taken a huge blow as a result of hearing about another delay from the Department. A permanent member of staff resigned from her post as her health, safety and wellbeing has been greatly affected."

To highlight the conditions staff were working under at that time, one staff member wrote to the board.

“During my time at Stepping Stones (two and a half years) I have received a fractured cheek bone, a sprained thumb, two serious head butts causing concussion, I’ve been bitten several times, slapped across the face, spat at, rugby tackled to the ground, I’ve had my hair pulled and I’ve been scratched several times. For the past year I have been on anti-depressant medication and visit a counsellor once, sometimes twice a week. I have had several panic attacks in the school, on the way to school and on more than one occasion, I’ve had to pull the car over on the way home from school. I come home in the evening and my shoulders are pinned to my ears I am so tense. I often can’t eat and sleeping has become a luxury since November. Recently due to challenging behaviours from older students in the school we are forced to lock ourselves in to the classroom on a daily basis while the student is transitioning to a different area in the school. And this can happen up to six times a day. This decision is the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life. Imagine loving your job with all your heart and having to give it up because of your environment.”

Stepping Stones Special School for Children with Autism and Complex Needs was first established by parents in 2002 given pilot project status by the DES and became a Special School in 2010.

This week Ms Cullinane told the Irish Times: “We have holes where rats and mice are coming into the school, and even though these holes are continually patched up by the caretaker, more holes are appearing due to rot,” she wrote.

“Minister, you have said that you have picked a side, you chose the side of the special needs child. Now it is time to act. Give us the help we need.”

In a statement, the Department of Education said: “Officials from the Department’s planning and building unit are currently engaging with the school authority in relation to the provision of additional interim temporary accommodation. In addition, the department is also exploring all available options with a view to providing a new permanent building for the school as quickly as possible.”