A strike has been narrowly averted at Unanderra Public School after the Department of Education agreed to fund a second dedicated class for students with special needs.
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Teachers at the school were set to walk off the job on Friday morning to protest outside Keira MP Ryan Park's office in Corrimal.
The industrial action was organised after a written plea to Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car, the education department and local member and Minister for the Illawarra Ryan Park went nowhere.
But by Thursday afternoon, the strike had been called off.
"Teachers at Unanderra Public School will not proceed with industrial action that was planned for Friday," the NSW Teachers Federation announced.
"This follows a meeting with the Department of Education where it was agreed that a second support class for students with disability would be introduced at the school."
The State Government funding means six students with autism will now be able to learn in a smaller class setting.
The school, which already had enough classroom space, will use the money to pay for an extra teacher and support staff.
Unanderra Public School established its first support class at the start of this year.
In December last year, the Illawarra Mercury reported that children with a disability were routinely being suspended and sent home early in a number of Illawarra public schools.
Eight local parents of children with a social-emotional or sensory disability spoke about the toll that multiple suspensions had taken on their family.
Overall, they believed their schools were not equipped with the resources to support children with these disabilities, or the capacity to respond to incidents in a way that de-escalates a situation.
All but one said their public school routinely dealt with their child's challenging behaviours - almost always an involuntary response when they are feeling overwhelmed - by punishing and excluding them.