Thursday, 30 November 2023

South-Eastern Metropolitan Region

Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:50): (618) My constituency question is for the Minister for Education. Will the minister meet with me and the leaders of Emerson primary school to understand why it is essential to revoke the decision by the Department of Education to rezone Emerson School in Dandenong in terms of its bus service? This school was established in 1973 as a special school to provide for students with intellectual disabilities. The issue relates to the bus services that are now being removed from current students of Emerson School as they are going to be rezoned to other pilot program schools, which means these students who are doing so well will not be able to use the bus services in 2024 to get them to school. The proposed changes are not going to have a grandfather clause, and this is going to impact a number of students that really need to continue in this particular learning environment. Minister, please meet with us and meet with the school and see why this is a very bad decision.