WESTERN suburbs parents want the state government to assure them a P-12 autism school will be built at Laverton College, as promised in the state budget.
The government announced in May that the west’s first prep-year 12 school for autistic children would be built at Laverton P-12 for $4million.
But two months on, parents are concerned that the Education Department cannot confirm when the school will be built.
Angela Hickey said parents deserved to know when Western Autistic School (WAS) would be able to educate children beyond grade 3.
Ms Hickey, whose son attends a mainstream Werribee primary school after completing his first few years at WAS, said parents wanted an assurance the P-12 school would be built soon.
“We have been promised a P-12 school at Laverton but we have been given no further details,” she said.
“We want dates of when building will begin.”
Colleen Harmer, who has two children on the autism spectrum and a third being diagnosed, said parents longed for education options.
Ms Harmer’s eldest son, 13, has Asperger’s syndrome and is in year 9 at Bayside College.
Her middle child has autism and is in grade 4 at a mainstream school in Altona.
While both children are coping well, Ms Harmer said she would like the chance to send her autistic son to a specialist high school if he found mainstream schooling too hard.
She said if the school at Laverton was not built soon, she would have to consider moving.
“Right now we don’t have options in the west and many people have had to move. We really can’t afford to pick up and move. I feel the west has been forgotten.”
On August 28, Ms Hickey and Ms Harmer will join other western suburbs and Geelong parents at a rally outside State Parliament.
They hope the rally will encourage the government and Education Department to keep parents informed of plans for the autistic school.
A spokesman said the department was consulting with the community before finalising designs.
