Parents fight to restore their kids' school transport

Petition sent to council over cutting of services

- ELINA KOBZAR

A heartbroken father has launched a petition after East Ayrshire Council removed school transport from children with additional support needs (ASN) for the rest of their school lives.

The decision affects pupils attending specialist schools such as Willowbank Primary in Kilmarnock, which caters for children with complex physical and learning support needs, as well as their families.

Fraser Jardine, 36, started a petition after receiving EAC’s refusal letter which was sent out on Monday, June 23.

The letter stated that his daughter, Gracie, would no longer receive transportation to and from school for the remainder of her school life.

Nine-year-old Gracie has level five cerebral palsy due to a birth injury.

She is nonverbal, unable to suck or swallow due to bulbar palsy and has epilepsy with regular seizures.

Gracie is entirely dependent on tube feeding and receives 20 individual medication doses per day administered via syringe into jejunostomy.

She has increased muscle tone with poor circulation and temperature control, cortical vision impairment, bowel irregularity due to her brain damage and weak lungs requiring daily attention.

Gracie also recently had hip surgery in April this year to carefully manage her hip displacement, scoliosis and curvature of the spine which needs to be carefully managed and can cause her pain when exposed to the cold.

Fraser, from Knockentiber, said: "In Gracie's situation, due to reports we had, her life expectancy is projected to be in her thirties, if she has the right therapies and physical, medical and environmental conditions in place.

"Gracie will be ten this year and to help her achieve this life expectancy and beyond she needs the best-case scenario in every situation through life giving her an optimum chance of reaching this goal which we are determined to see her get to.

"Gracie is fragile and her health can go downhill very quickly.