After a prolonged and sustained campaign by the parents of children with special needs in County Monaghan and supported with local reporting by Northern Sound FM, Monaghan is finally to get its own special school. Details of the announcement from the Department of Special Education are still filtering through as we bring you this breaking news. Since February this year, a campaign group called Special Needs Active Parents - or SNAP - began lobbying government, local politicians and our sitting Minister to deliver a special school for the many children in County Monaghan who have no dedicated school which would cater for their specific needs.
They had argued that Monaghan was one of only two counties in the country without their own special school while some counties had several. The parents of SNAP had also told politicians and officials that education is the right of every child, not a privilege. Northern Sound has championed the local cause throughout and followed stressed out and exhausted parents as they held consultations, public protests, made several trips to the Dáil, met with the Minister of Education, Norma Foley, the Minister for Disabilities, Anne Rabbited and even the Taoiseach, Simon Harris in Monaghan as they fought for what their children need.
SNAP parents even found suitable locations for the school. The details as we know them are the new school will be open by next September in time for the start of the 2025/26 school year. A location has not yet been finalised for the school but crucially, the building and its location will allow for the an increasing number of children with special needs. The decision to provide County Monaghan with a special school is set to be formally agreed by Cabinet on Tuesday but was confirmed by Minister Humphreys today. Today, marks a red letter day for Monaghan children with special needs and highlights the effectiveness of political lobbying in conjunction with local radio working for, and on behalf of, its community.
