Resolved complaint (296) about disability discrimination in education

About the complaint

The complainant’s six-year-old son has apraxia of speech and was a student at the respondent public primary school. The complainant alleged the school introduced a policy restricting access by external allied health providers to school premises, resulting in her son losing acess to occupational therapy support at school. 

The school said it provided the complainant’s son with a placement with reasonable adjustments. The school said it continued to welcome collaboration, input and reports from external therapists to inform what reasonable adjustments should be provided. However, the school argued that allowing private external therapists access to the school grounds to conduct individual therapy sessionswas not a reasonable adjustment. 

The complaint was resolved by conciliation with an agreement that the parties meet to discuss the complainant’s son’s needs and any adjustments required moving forward. The school undertook to provide the complainant direct communication channels to raise concerns.

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