‘Urgent shortage’ of places for special education schools in Laois raised in Seanad Éireann 

The “urgent shortage” of places for special education schools in Laois has been raised on the national stage.

Laois Sinn Féin Senator Maria McCormack brought national attention to the matter when she addressed Seanad Éireann this week.

Senator McCormack said she was speaking “as both a mother and a public representative,” highlighting what she called “the devastating impact of the system’s failure on families in her home county of Laois.”

The Laois Senator was joined in the public gallery by Sarah and Darren Hennessy, from Killeshin, parents of five-year-old Freddie, who has autism and global developmental delay.

Freddie has been refused a place in up to 20 schools despite being ready and eager to start primary school.

“This is not just a failure of planning—it is a failure of children, of families, and of basic rights,” Senator McCormack said.

“Sarah and Darren have been let down time and again.”

Fianna Fáil TD Michael Moynihan, a Junior Ministr at the Department of Education, agreed to meet directly with the Hennessy family following Senator McCormack’s speech.

The family used this opportunity to speak personally about the “trauma, frustration, and exhaustion” they are experiencing due to the lack of a suitable school place for their son.

Senator McCormack said the Minister “saw first-hand what that failure looks like — and the human cost it carries.”

In her speech, Senator McCormack also raised alarm over recent announcements of new ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) classes in five Laois schools, warning that they are “highly unlikely to open by September due to a lack of planning, resources, and infrastructure.”

“There is no architect, no funding secured, and no clear plan for the modular builds,” Senator McCormack said.

“While it may look good on paper, this is yet another case of giving families false hope.”

The Sinn Féin Senator also drew attention to “severe overcrowding” at St Francis Special School in Portlaoise, which is operating 19 classes in a 12-classroom building.

Senator McCormack took aim at what she called “the broken promise of a modular unit that has yet to be delivered, four years on.”

Another Laois mother, Rebecca, was also mentioned. Her son Alex remains on a 45-child waiting list, with her only options being homeschooling or placing him in a mainstream school that cannot meet his needs.

Senator McCormack closed her remarks with a call for action, saying: “Hope is not a strategy. These families need certainty.

“They need clarity. And their children deserve better. This isn’t just about policy—it’s about people.

“And I will not stop until every child has access to the school place they are entitled to.”

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