The Government of the Community of Madrid, chaired by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, intends to reduce aid to those students who have physical disabilities and have to go to ordinary schools, but who have specific resources of physiotherapists, nurses or conditional routes, according to complaints the affected families.
Until now, they had adapted transportation and a free dining room with the same conditions as students who go to special centers or live in rural environments. But through an order from the territorial area management, coming from the Ministry of Education, families are receiving notifications communicating some changes.
From the Federation of Associations of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities of the Community of Madrid (Famma), its president, Javier Font, denounces that “it is regrettable that the Ministry of Education leaves children with disabilities in motor-preferred schools without service.” . In his opinion, “this measure is denying them their right to compulsory education and what is worse, it hinders their future, harming their rights and making equal opportunities difficult.”
The Ministry of Education of the Community of Madrid responds to La Vanguardia that "it is absolutely false that the criteria are going to be tightened so that students with physical disabilities enrolled in ordinary public centers can enjoy free transportation and school meals as until now." And they continue: “These students will continue to have access to these services under exactly the same conditions as in the current 2023/24 academic year or in previous academic years, conditions established in an order that has been in force since 2005.”
Apparently there was a tacit agreement that these students would enjoy these advantages, even if they did not meet any requirements. For example, they could enjoy adapted transportation routes regardless of whether they lived near or far from the educational center. Well, it seems that the criterion is intended to change and, for example, they will only be granted it if they live more than 3 kilometers from the school they attend.
In this sense, Famma denounces that the “new criteria of the Ministry of Education leave minors with disabilities without transportation service.”
Font has requested an emergency meeting with the Minister of Education, Emilio Viciana, to “resolve this matter quickly.” In Font's opinion, "it is incredible that the Government talks about family and work conciliation and on the other hand many families are sanctioned with actions such as those described."
According to Famma there are more than 1,600 children with physical disabilities enrolled in ordinary public centers in the Community of Madrid. And only 59 centers throughout the region have support staff to treat and educate these students with physical problems.
The Ministry of Education reiterates that the regulations date back to 2005. The instruction that is being transmitted to the affected families is that school routes will be maintained, but with much more restrictive criteria for this group. To enjoy the school route they will have to live more than 3 kilometers from the school center. However, those enrolled in special education centers will be able to enjoy the route if they live only 1 kilometer from the educational center. And regarding the dining room, they have to use the transportation route to enjoy the free dining room, which costs 5.5 euros per day, which represents an outlay of about 1,000 euros per student per school year.
In this context, it must be remembered that the route is only for students with disabilities, so if they have siblings enrolled in the same educational center they have to go separately because otherwise the person who suffers from the physical problem loses their right to a free lunch.
In fact, these days the case of a child who lives in the northern neighborhood of the capital Sanchinarro has gone viral on social media and has to travel to the Pilar neighborhood because there is no public school adapted to his needs in his area.
