BY MARK McKELVEY

PARENTS have taken to the picket lines in a demonstration of their full support of the classroom assistants reasons to take strike action this week.

Katrina Wilson is one such parent who feels the invaluable service provided by the classroom assistants to her eight-year-old autistic son Jody at St Colmcille's Primary School in Omagh has to be recognised.

Jody has his own classroom assistant to provide him with one-to-one individual support, allowing him to attend mainstream school. Since the strike, he has again been segregated and treated differently from the rest of the boys, causing severe disruption to his daily routine.

Katrina is helping to co-ordinate supportive parents and classroom assistants in the West Tyrone area to mount a united protest today (Thursday) from 9.30am at Arvalee Special School, which has had to close this week due to the strike.

Katrina explained why she has taken this stance.

"I fully support the classroom assistants as without them my boy couldn't attend mainstream school. For a lot of parents they really do rely heavily on the classroom assistants as do the teachers.

"They do a fantastic job, developing a wonderful bond with the children which gives me a great level of security and assurance that he is safe at well looked after while at school.

"As Jody is autistic, he needs routine and structure in his life and as he is not getting it because he can't attend school this week means his behaviour goes downhill. He expects to go to school Monday to Friday and he just can't understand why all the other boys are allowed to go to school but he isn't."

"If it was me keeping Jody of school, the truancy officer would soon be knocking on my door, but it all right for them to force the children to stay at home by not helping the classroom assistants do this amazing work."

Katrina says the classroom assistants don't want to go on strike and this is the last resort. She blames the school board management for causing this situation that is having a detrimental affect on her son's education.

"It is clear that the people making the decisions in management do not care about the children as they have known this was coming from June and did nothing to address the problems," said Katrina.

"The classroom assistants are there for the child every minute of the school day. They are in some way like nurses, born to the job, providing an invaluable service that has to be recognised. Their management have clearly under-estimated the essential service they provide to the education system.

"Unfortunately it has had to come this far as the children who are left to suffer. These kids that rely on the classroom assistants are being discriminated against, as they are not being given the basic rights to an education that other children are automatically getting."