The needs of children with unfortunate destinies, who were born or developed a disability, are neglected even by those who should provide them with quality education, understanding and warmth.
At the beginning of the school year, the management of the Orizont School Center for Inclusive Education, where more than 300 students with disabilities study, decided to restrict the right to education of girls with severe mental disabilities, forbidding them to come to school if they are… on their periods . When Bihor began to investigate the flagrant case of discrimination, surprise: the decision was revoked, as if suddenly it was no longer necessary!
“Equal opportunities for students”
While it presents itself as an institution that offers “equal opportunities to students with special educational needs for successful integration into social life”, Centrul Orizont in Traian Lalescu Street 3 turns out to be just the opposite: a school that limits children’s chances.
Unlike mainstream education, special education offers educational programs adapted to the degree of disability of each child, that is, it is molded according to their needs. This is precisely why students are organized into classes according to their deficiencies, from those with mild intellectual disabilities, who can manage on their own, to those with profound disabilities, who will be dependent on those around them all their lives.
At CSEI Orizont, a large part of the students come from placement centers and some from loving families who fight for them to have the best possible future. The inclusion in a school group and the support of the teachers are essential for their development. In addition to psychopedagogues, special schools also have nurses who have to help students unable to do simple things by themselves, from going to the bathroom to eating or, in the case of girls, personal hygiene on the days when they are menstruating.
To be “kept at home”
The fact that the right to education is guaranteed to all children by the Romanian Constitution and the Education Law meant nothing to the members of the Board of Directors of CSEI Orizont, who on September 27, 2023 issued a shocking decision, which stipulates that “students with DMS (no – Severe Mental Deficiency)during menstruation, to be kept at home”. As if it does not go through a natural anatomical process…
The explanation is easy to understand: the school wanted to get rid of extra work. Girls with such a disability need support and supervision in most activities, which means that at school they must be helped, including changing absorbent pads. The school management decided, however, to evade this task, in a downright primitive manner. At the opposite pole, in the city of Deva, for example, the Local Council decided, just last month, that all schoolgirls receive free absorbent pads and medical advice regarding the changes they are going through.
Stained with blood
Seemingly discriminatory, the decision was not published on the school’s website, but only on the notice board, “hidden” among dozens of other documents. The highlight is that some parents only recently found out about it.
“We are happy with the school, there have never been any problems and our daughter loves it there. At the beginning of the school year we found her one day with blood stains and her pad not changed, but we thought it was an incident before let us pick her up from school. But on March 14th, when I informed the principal that the girl had her period, she sent us the decision, informing us that we must keep her at home. How? Should I take leave, she can’t stay alone!”, says the parent of a secondary school student.
He asked the director for an explanation, who only told him that the measure was taken to “protect the children’s health”, without explaining how. She continued to take her daughter to school, the child was accepted, but no one helped her to change her absorbent pad.
Menstruation, a “disease”
Asked by Bihor how to explain such a decision that cancels, month by month, the right to education of the students, the principal Lăcrimioara Şipoş, who also leads the school’s Board of Directors, claims that the decision was taken due to a particular case, of a student who, being on her period, she couldn’t stop herself from putting her hands in the diaper. However, instead of finding a solution for that specific situation, he chose the easier option for the school employees.
“It was a decision made after several discussions and consultations. The teachers complained about the situation, the nurses also complained that in addition to what they have to do, it is not OK to do this (no – changing the absorbent)there were other parents who said they didn’t think it was right for their children to be subjected to such a risk (no – to get sick)“, claimed the woman, concerned to find out the name of the person who “poured” her BIHOREAN.
As for the “detail” that the ban is illegal, Şipoş claimed that, in fact, “the legal framework is as it is, interpretable”. The director claims, however, that girls are not restricted from their right to education, because any “sick” child must be kept at home. As if menstruation is a disease that “takes away”…
Asked how many girls are specifically targeted by the ban, Şipoş groped that “under 10, maybe under 5”, finally concluding that only 3. Sources BIHOREAN I say, however, that the number is actually much higher, being 12 girls from families, 2 from DGAPSC centers, 2 under the care of foster carers and 7 enrolled in part-time education, i.e. a total of 23.
See below the statements of the Director of CSEI Orizont on this topic!
The godmother approves!
The school inspector in charge of special education, Elena Erdeli, does not see any discrimination in the CSEI Orizont decision either. “I don’t know who wants to be harmed or what are the bases of this questioning. I don’t know where it started, that’s my only dilemma,” said Erdeli, who is the godmother of director Şipoş’s wedding. Asked explicitly by Bihor if the decision of the fine is legal, Erdeli did not give any answer.
Learning from the newspaper about the situation, neither did the head of the Bihor School Inspectorate, Horea Abrudan (photo), did not initially see any problem in banning menstruating schoolgirls from entering school. He made sure, however, that the school is “covered” with papers. “Special education has its particularities and is a delicate situation. It is true that the school must not restrict the right to education. That is why I requested that the decision be accompanied by documents certifying its adoption”, declared Abrudan.
Change of mind afterwards
Interesting that after what Bihor presented the situation to the Ministry of Education, local officials suddenly realized that the decision of CSEI Orizont is as unnatural as possible. In fact, last Thursday, the director announced that the discriminatory decision had been revoked, without offering any other explanation. “That decision has been revoked,” she summed up to declare, threatening that if an article appeared, she would demand “the right of reply”, probably referring to the right of reply.
What is worse is that, instead of admitting that she made a mistake, Lăcrimioara Şipoş continued to support her. At the end of last week, it started sending notices to parents that students with DMD have deviant behaviors during menstruation. Acts that he probably wants to use to justify his inappropriate attitude…
premier
Discrimination and violation of rights
The decision taken at CSEI Orizont against menstruating students appalled the president of the National Council for Combating Discrimination, Csaba Asztalos (photo)who stated BIHOREAN that he had never heard of such a situation. “The measure cannot be justified. At first glance, it violates the right to education of these girls and the right to dignity,” said the official.
The former head of the National Authority for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Children and Adoptions, Mădălina Turza, is of the same opinion. “It is certainly a serious case of discrimination on the basis of disability and an aspect of a biological nature, and it fundamentally violates access to education,” the specialist believes.
The Education Law provides in article 3 that pre-university education is governed by the principle of non-discrimination, “on the basis of which access and participation in quality education is achieved without discrimination”, and in article 9 that “the Romanian state ensures fair access, without any form of discrimination, to all levels and forms of pre-university education, to the citizens of Romania”, discrimination being prohibited including on the basis of belonging to a disadvantaged category, such as severe mental disability.
Tags: Discrimination special school Oradea ..
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