Nelson school squeeze: ‘Penny-pinching’ to hurt disabled students

MICHELLE HERBISON
GEELONG’S intellectually disabled senior students will be left without enough space after State Government acquires their Corio campus mid-year, according to their principal.
Di Leverett said the Nelson Park School community disagreed with an Education Department decision that enough room was available to accommodate the year 10 to 12 students in the school’s main campus at Bell Park.
She believed the main campus would be insufficient for 340 students if the 85 from Corio arrived.
The school council was desperately seeking an alternative site for the senior students with little help from the department, Ms Leverett said.
Nelson Park senior students studied at Corio’s former Flinders Peak Secondary College campus for less than a year before the department ordered them to move.
Ms Leverett said the senior students needed their own space and a stable school environment.
“A third of our students are autistic and all have complex and challenging needs.
“We don’t want to have multiple moves because stability is so important for them. The last three years of school are about developing the students to be independent with more emphasis on social skills and self-management than mainstream schools.”
Ms Leverett said Nelson Park’s enrolments had nearly doubled in six years.
“If the school keeps growing like that Bell Park won’t cater for our growth.”
Labor Member for Lara John Eren accused the Government of “penny-pinching” at the expense of special-needs children.
“For them to basically close this school down without listening to the school community is as low as you can get for a government scraping the bottom of the barrel and it’s just wrong.
“I know what they’re trying to do. They’ll empty Flinders Peak to sell to developers and get the cash out of them.”
A spokesman for Education Minister Martin Dixon backed the education department’s decision.
The department had undertaken a detailed assessment of enrolments in the area, he said
“The Nelson Park site has suitable classroom space to accommodate the school’s senior students.”
The education department said it encouraged schools to develop specific programs for their students.
A spokesperson said the department would allow Nelson Park to operate student programs outside the school.
“We will ensure students are housed in an appropriate facility”