MP claims special needs school should be ‘knocked down and rebuilt’
A SPECIAL needs school which educates some of the community’s most vulnerable children with disabilities should be ‘knocked down and rebuilt’ according to Macarthur federal Labor MP Mike Freelander.
Macarthur
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A MINTO special needs school which educates some of the community’s most vulnerable children with disabilities should be ‘knocked down and rebuilt’ according to Macarthur federal Labor MP Mike Freelander.
Dr Freelander and Jan Domanski, a volunteer with the Passfield Park School’s fundraising organisation claim the school facilities are no longer fit for purpose and numerous rooms are infested with a recurring mould problem.
The school caters for children with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Mr Domanski said several rooms within the school had recurring issues with mould and some staff had reported respiratory issues.
“I’d say that something close to 50 per cent of the school has been mould treated over the past couple of years and a lot of it’s recurring,” he said.
Dr Freelander said the school’s facilities were also not fit for modern standards and could be dangerous in an emergency situation.
Mr Domanski said the school had a number of locked doors, designed to stop children wandering, which were built to outdated standards that would place staff and students in danger should there be an emergency.
“The ramp leading down to the ground level is no longer up to standard … it’s too narrow with uneven areas and a number of choke points including a caged door at the top,” Mr Domanski said.
A department of education spokesman said more than $500,000 had been spent on school maintenance at Passfield Park in 2018.
“This includes cleaning, roof repairs, ventilation works, bitumen and soft fall area repairs,” he said.
“A further $27,000 is currently being spent on the installation of playground safety fencing and handrails, the fitting of privacy screening and remediation works including ceiling replacement.
“The Department of Education will continue to work closely with the school to identify its needs, and maintain and improve facilities to support students and teachers.”
Macquarie Fields state Labor MP Anoulack Chanthivong said it was unacceptable that students and staff have to put up with issues like mould and lack of access for students in wheelchairs.
“I have been working closely with Passfield Park Kids Inc to raise their concerns regarding the outrageous conditions at Passfield Park School with the Minister for Education,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the Liberal Government has failed to commit to a much-needed upgrade of the school,” he said.