5 Nov 2018

Govt's learning support staff plan gives hope for parent

From Morning Report, 6:10 am on 5 November 2018

A mother whose disabled son was turned away from her local school because it said it couldn't cope with his disability hopes 600 new specialist learning support coordinators will stop this from happening to anyone else. Jacinda Adern announced at the Labour Party Conference the government will fully fund the positions from 2020, with the promise the 600 will double if the budget allows. An Auckland mother, who has asked not to be named, told our reporter Rachel Graham she had expected she would be able to enrol her son at her local school when he turned five just like everybody else. But when she informed the school that he was a high functioning autistic, who had little speech and impaired social skills, all that changed.