The demand for support classes for students with different abilities such as autism is skyrocketing in Campbelltown and Macarthur.
Lack of funding has meant incredibly long delays for parents who apply to have their children enrolled in special schools or classes.
Data obtained from the NSW Department of Education shows approvals for support class placements in our local schools dropped from 85 percent in 2017 to 57 percent in 2020.
Similarly, approvals for integration funding support dropped from 86 percent in 2017 to 19 percent in 2020.
Parents have submitted more than 1,100 requests for support class placements since 2014, with nearly 500 families missing out.
“It’s a waiting game for us,’’ says Raby resident Debbie Simpson, who enrolled her son Joshua at Robert Townson Primary School this year when there was no response to her application.
Her local MP, Anoulack Chanthivong, has now taken the fight to the government, calling for urgent allocation of funding for more support class placements in local public schools.
“It is clear that the Liberal Government has failed parents, failed our teachers, failed our public education system and, above all, failed our kids,” says Mr Chanthivong.
“There are simply not enough support class placements, or funding, to meet the growing needs of my local community.
“Parents’ voices, once a whisper, have now become a rallying cry for more support classes in our public schools as demand continues to skyrocket.
“Long waiting lists for support places or extra in-class support mean that additional pressures are being placed on teachers and other students.
“The Liberal Government must urgently fund more support classes in our local schools.”
Mr Chanthivong said he was often contacted by parents desperate for help to get their child enrolled in a support class at one of our local public schools.
“Every child has a right to be fully supported to reach their full potential,” Mr Chanthivong said.
To support Mr Chanthivong’s campaign for more support classes, sign the online petition at https://www.connectwithanoulack.com/petitions/fund-more-support-classes-in-our-local-schools/ or contact his office on 9618 2077.
