Parents of children at special-needs school fume over alleged ill treatment

Parents and school governing body (SGB) members are outraged by how children with special needs are allegedly being treated by the management of a school in Johannesburg.

A mother and vocal SGB member took the fight to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), but accuses the department of interfering in SGB business.

The GDE explained the situation regarding the school’s policy; however, the angry parents believe they are being pushed out because they are South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant recipients.

Debt letters for Sassa beneficiaries

Casa do Sol School in Randburg is an educational facility for pupils with intellectual disabilities, and also provides therapy and after-school care.

Ms Buthelezi, as she wishes to be identified, claims there is a growing culture of bullying and discrimination aimed at parents of pupils who have their education funded by Sassa grants.

Parents have allegedly begun receiving letters from debt collectors this year due to unpaid school fees and contributions towards the school’s transport service.

One parent who received debt notices is a former SGB member, but left after her daughter was removed from the school due to her age.

Another parent, who lives in Alexandra, receives a care dependency grant, which is allocated to caregivers of children who have severe physical or mental disabilities.

Others have received confirmation of their full exemption status, only to allegedly be told by Casa do Sol that this excludes transport costs.

As an SGB member, Buthelezi has been fighting for her fellow parents, adamant that as Sassa grant recipients, they should receive automatic exemption from the fees as had been the case prior to 2024.

Reapplying necessary

Automatic exemption is defined in the government gazette 29311 as the total exemption available to vulnerable children, including a person who receives a social grant on behalf of a child.

However, the qualifying criteria must be met before the status can be confirmed, as per Clause 4(3) of the Government Gazette 29311.

“A parent qualifies for automatic exemption if he or she submits to the governing body sufficient proof of eligibility for such exemption by providing documentary evidence in the form of – (a) an affidavit; (b) a confirmation affidavit from a social worker or from any other competent authority; or (c) a court order.

The GDE supported the school’s actions, stating parents had a responsibility to reapply annually.

“Casa do Sol is a fee-paying school. However, if parents don’t apply for exemption as required in the regulations, they remain responsible for the fees,” Mabona explained to The Citizen.

“For parents of children who receive disability grants from Sassa, they can apply for automatic total exemption by submitting the application form with confirmatory documents,” he added.

Special needs children forced to walk

Buthelezi’s role on the SGB includes the transport portfolio, but she feels she has been locked out of the process by being denied access to the transport budget and allocation documents for transported learners.

She said that repeated requests to view the transport budget and the allocations received by government have been met with resistance.

“SGB members who are challenging these decisions are being bullied and isolated from information,” Buthelezi told The Citizen.

Cosmo City resident Lorraine Machate expressed her anger at having to walk her special needs child to Malibongwe Drive or other main roads to be collected, despite requests to transport the children to and from their homes.

“When we told them about this situation, they did not want to understand. They said we must walk, there is no bus that will come door to door,” Machate told The Citizen.

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It is the fees for this bus service that parents are receiving debt letters, but the GDE explained the school’s stance.

“It must be noted that the collection of learners from home has financial implications and is dependent on the resources at the school, i.e. number of buses and learners to be collected, in a limited timeframe,” explained Mabona.

Buthelezi accused the SGB chairperson of approving a R100 000 end-of-year party, while the school was unable to divert extra funds for transport.

Teachers qualified

Machate’s daughter was forced to leave the school last year after turning 21 in December.

“The exit age of learners at the said school is 21 years, to make admission space for other young learners. Affected parents can then request further support from the Department of Social Development,” replied Mabona.

Buthelezi said she approached the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (Fedsas) in June, and the body is still processing her list of 13 complaints, including children being injured at school by unqualified caregivers.   

“The GDE can confirm that educators at Casa do Sol are appropriately qualified and deemed fit to teach learners at the said school,” said Mabona.

The GDE received questions sent by The Citizen on 27 August. By 1 September, Buthelezi had received a letter from the department requesting a mediation session regarding the dispute.

Casa do Sol’s principal did not respond to questions, nor did the current or previous SGB chairpersons.

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