Parents of children who were denied places at Little Angels Special School have secured a meeting today with Minister of State for Special Education, Michael Moynihan TD.
The parents have travelled to Dublin today to join an overnight sleepout protest outside the gates of Dáil Éireann for World Autism Day.
Nine Donegal families are fighting for their children, who all have complex needs, who have been unable to get places at Little Angels in Letterkenny due to a lack of capacity.
Despite the school moving to a new, state-of-the-art facility in September, Little Angels remains at capacity, with demand growing.
The parents say they hope for “meaningful answers and progress” from today’s meeting with the Minister.
The Department of Education is said to be examining options to secure school places for the children at Little Angels in the new school year.
Three weeks ago, an architect from Minister Moynihan’s department visited the school and fully assessed the potential options for additional places in September.
Donegal Minister of State Charlie McConalogue said he was confident that there will be a positive outcome: “The move to the new school means the current accommodation will become available and I know this is one of the options being explored by the Department of Education. Government is very aware of the urgency in giving certainty to parents in relation to school places for their children for this coming September,” he added.
