Special Needs Education: Social Justice Issues at Flax Hill School

This report addresses social justice concerns within the context of special needs education, specifically examining the practices of Flax Hill State School in Queensland. The report highlights the case of a student with autism, Zoe, who faced suspension and a lack of adequate support from the school administration. It critiques the school's insensitivity towards students with special needs, emphasizing the absence of inclusive practices and the failure to provide necessary accommodations. The report defines social justice and cultural safety, advocating for equal access to opportunities and the fair treatment of all individuals, irrespective of their abilities. It recommends that the school administration be made aware of the inclusive nature of education. It also suggests recruiting teachers well-versed in special needs to better support vulnerable students. The report concludes by urging the school to change its approach and eliminate social injustices, aligning with contemporary societal values.

Running head: SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
Special needs education
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
To
The Principal
Flax Hill State School
Queensland 00000
Subject: Lack of social justice within the school administration
Sir,
It has come to our notice that the school is unable to cope with the needs of a special
child with disability issues. A recent incident has been observed in the case of Patrick and
Denise, who are the parents of Zoe. They have remarked that the Flax Hill State School have
suspended Zoe because of her inability to properly conduct herself in the class. As a result of
such an emotional outburst in the part of Zoe, the school administration has issues a letter of
suspension to Zoe without. This has put a lot of stress in the minds of the parents as they are of
the idea that it might be difficult for them to find another school for their child on such a short
notice. They have thus, taken up the initiative to try and find out a better resolution with the
current school of Flax Hill State School.
Being a social justice ally, it is my responsibility to ensure that the vulnerable and weaker
sections of the society are properly cared for and looked after. The role of a social justice ally is
to look after the adherence to the values of human rights as existing in the society and to direct
the activities of the privileged members of the society to work for the less privileged and
vulnerable individuals of the same community (Sleeter, 2015). The model of social justice ally is
considered to be invaluable for maintaining the values and customs of the society since it aids in

2SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
the elimination of the various social injustices which are present in the society (Case, 2016). In
executing such work, the five ethical guidelines for anti-oppressive practices are adhered to. We
try to ensure that the vulnerable people do not face much of social differences and that the
impact of the interaction of social systems do not affect their psychological in an adverse manner
(Estrada, Singh & Harper, 2017). Furthermore, the history of the different social groups is
carefully analyzed along with the position they hold on the society. The vulnerable people are
encouraged to understand their own social location and analyze if they have a possibility of
communication in this regard (Rojas & Liou, 2017).
To better understand the needs of the school, it is first important to understand the
concepts of social justice and the related idea of cultural safety. Social justice refers to the equal
accessibility of the people to the aspects of opportunities, material wealth and that of privileges
within the broader frame work of the society (Evans et al., 2017). However, it is necessary to
understand that not every individual in the society are similar to each other. The mental state of
the people differ from people to people while the physical ability of the people also differ widely
(Shyman, 2015). The main objective of social justice is to establish a fair relation between the
society and the individuals. In this regard, there is a need to treat the unequal people in an equal
manner (Shriberg & Clinton, 2016). The adherence to such an idea of social justice is essential as
it aids in the growth and development of cultural values (Pantić & Florian, 2015).
In the situation of Zoe, it can be seen that the cultural environment of the school was not
facilitating in nature. The school did not provide for any special assistance or provisions for the
people with special needs and vulnerability. Zoe suffered from autism and yet, the principal did
not provide with a stable teacher aid who would be responsible to look after her needs. One of
the instances of gross cultural insensitivity was that of understanding that Zoe’s motor functions

3SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
does not work in the same manner as those of other individuals. Furthermore, in the presence of
stressful environment, Zoe starts to act out by the way of chewing her hair or picking at her nose.
She is not aware of the behavioral etiquette required in front of the other members of the
community and had little or negligible help from her school to teach her such behavior.
It can be seen that Flax Hill State School is known for suspending or excluding students
with special needs from its course work. In fact, the administration has gone so far as to make it
apparent to Zoe’s parents that her behavioral issues is due to the inadequacy in her parents to
teach her the correct manners. The school did make an attempt to this regard of providing some
aid to Zoe. One particular teacher was assigned to her, however, within a short period of time,
that teacher resigned, citing ‘unsupportive work culture’ and ‘unrealistic demands to be met’.
This showed the insensitiveness of the school towards those students with special needs.
The other teacher aids who were assigned to Zoe did not bother to establish a close and
personal relationship with Zoe as is usually required in the case of the students suffering from
certain disabilities. This shows that the school does not pay much heed to the differences existing
in the society in the form of social injustice and rather choose to ignore them than help resolve
them. The teacher aides were insensitive to the needs of Zoe and it was their lack in education.
In this regard, it is essential to let you know that such a behavior is not acceptable and
there is a dire need on the part of the school to ensure that a drastic change is brought about with
regards to its ability to handle the people with social needs. One of the recommendations that can
be provided to this effect is that the administration should be made aware of the inclusive nature
of education (Messiou, 2017). Education should be made available to everyone in the society and
for this, there is a need on the part of the school administration to ensure that proper aid and
assistance is provided to the vulnerable students of the society. The teachers and the

4SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
administration should be given training to this end so that they can effectively meet the needs
and requirements of such vulnerable students.
Another recommendation that can be provided to help improve upon the cultural safety
aspect of the school is recruiting those teachers who are well-versed with the issue of special
needs (Osler, 2016). The handling of those students with vulnerabilities and needs is not easy
and for this, the teachers need to be experienced in understanding that such students are usually
demeaned and exploited in the society. The assigning of the trained teachers to the special needs
students is important because such teachers would be able to work with the students and help
them to alley their fears and vulnerabilities.
Thus, to conclude, it has been opinionated by various members of the society that your
school is not conversant with the needs of the society. In the contemporary times when the
society is more concerned with the elimination of social injustices, your school is seeking to
punish the vulnerable students of the society. This deplorable situation needs to be changed as
soon as possible.
Thanking you,
XYZ

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