The impossibility for a 7-year-old girl with type 1 diabetes to attend the Fortià school cafeteria between September and February due to lack of support staff has once again put the focus on the resources of inclusive education in Catalonia. Her father, Marc Rodrigo, denounces that his daughter Arlet was left out of this basic service for months due to the absence of sufficient coverage by the administration.
Rodrigo maintains that the situation is not an isolated case. He is part of the collective Jo Vull Anar, made up of families from Alt Empordà and from other parts of Catalonia, which demands that minors with type 1 diabetes can participate normally in school activities such as excursions and colonies, in addition to the dining hall.
"From the start of the course, in September, until February one could not stay in the dining room" - Marc Rodrigo
A claim for real inclusion in school
The demand of these families coincides with a political movement in the Parlament de Catalunya to reinforce the attention to students with special educational needs. The chamber approved a motion promoted by Esquerra Republicana with the aim of strengthening the inclusive education system and increasing the resources destined for these students.
The motion went forward with 19 of the 20 points raised. Among the approved measures are more resources, the incorporation of specialized professionals, the figure of the school nurse, and better educational coordination from the infant stage to the post-compulsory.
The only point that did not succeed was the proposal to create an independent commission to decide the schooling of students with special educational needs.
The families denounce a structural lack of resources
Marc Rodrigo links the current situation with a sustained lack over time. In his case, furthermore, he assures that his daughter's experience has made him relive difficulties that he already knew firsthand during his childhood.
"My daughter has made me relive the same thing and 39 years later we are the same, because when I was a child I encountered the same problem" - Marc Rodrigo
The collective Jo Vull Anar insists that the problem is not limited to specific cases nor to a single municipality. Its claim aims to prevent children with type 1 diabetes from being excluded from ordinary school environment activities due to not having the necessary support.
"That no child with special needs is excluded from basic school activities due to lack of resources. The cases we have have multiplied by five and it is clear that a real investment is needed" - Marc Rodrigo
The support model, at the center of the debate
One of the elements that families place at the center of the discussion is the hiring model for support staff. In Cataluña, these figures are usually subcontracted, whereas in the País Vasco they depend directly on the public education system. That difference fuels the debate about the stability of the teams and the capacity for response to continuous needs within the centers.
After the approval of the motion, Rodrigo expressed his satisfaction, although with caution, awaiting that the measures translate into effective changes in the classrooms and in daily services such as the school canteen.
"It is an immense emotion and joy for us. As long as we manage to change something, however small it may be, it will already be a victory" - Marc Rodrigo
The claim of these families remains on the table with a clear demand that inclusion does not depend on provisional solutions nor on the punctual availability of support, but on a stable structure that guarantees that no student is left out of ordinary school life.