A growing COVID-19 outbreak has forced a Sydney school for children with autism spectrum disorder to shut its doors, with 18 cases linked to the cluster.
Health authorities say three staff members and seven students at Giant Steps special education school in Gladesville have tested positive to COVID-19, as well as eight family members.
Autism Awareness Australia chief executive Nicole Rogerson has spoken to a number of devastated parents at the school, with hundreds of children and family members now in isolation.
A dozen students at Giant Steps school have tested positive for COVID-19 Credit:Google Maps
“There is an entire school community that includes both people with autism and their parents and staff that are desperately worried about what is already a difficult situation, and now they have COVID-19 in their community,” she said.
“A hospital trip for someone with moderate to severe autism is an unbelievable thing to have to deal with. My heart goes out to all of them.”
In a letter from principal Kerrie Nelson, seen by the Herald, parents were first told on August 5 the school would shut after a staff member tested positive to COVID-19. All staff and students were asked to isolate until receiving further advice.
The school, which was established in 1995, caters for high needs children with autism from kindergarten to Year 12.
Ms Rogerson said it was essential that schools for students with moderate and severe disabilities could remain open during lockdown, criticising the federal government’s vaccine rollout across the disability sector.
She said more needed to be done to ensure students, staff and carers were vaccinated.
“An outbreak like this is devastating but it’s probably not surprising,” she said.
“So many of us have been yelling from the rooftops for months that people with a disability were part of 1b of the rollout, yet so many remain unvaccinated.
“If you’re working with a very vulnerable population, I’d be very keen to see who on the staff was vaccinated and who wasn’t.”
In a statement, NSW Health said it was working with the school, which is closed, to support students, their families and staff in isolation.
Giant Steps has been contacted for comment.
Daniella White is a reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2021-08-12 10:29:29Z
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