Due to the lack of ATA staff, school staff are unable to adequately care for students with severe disabilities. Parents are increasingly forced to rush to school to administer insulin to their children or change their diapers. The situation has become unsustainable.
The general secretary of UIL Scuola Sardegna, Giuseppe Corrias, denounced this. "The situation in Sardinia's schools has reached an intolerable critical level," he reiterated. " The progressive cuts in ATA staff have reduced the number of school assistants to an all-time low , leaving schools unable to guarantee the dignified and safe management of students with severe disabilities and chronic conditions such as childhood diabetes."
Today, UIL reports, schools are faced with complex emergencies on a daily basis: from managing personal hygiene and changing diapers for children with severe disabilities, to monitoring blood sugar levels and administering insulin to young diabetic students. "These delicate and healthcare-related tasks can no longer and should not be delegated to school staff who are already overworked , understaffed, and lack the specialized training needed to handle such responsibilities," the union clarifies.
According to Corrias, "we cannot continue to delegate social and health-related tasks to school staff to fill the gaps in the healthcare system and local authorities. Immediate and structured intervention is needed. We are calling on the Region and local authorities to provide schools with specialized professionals capable of responding promptly to the needs of schools."
These shortages, according to the UIL, are having repercussions on the children's families . "Parents are increasingly forced to remain constantly on call, having to rush to school at all hours of the day to replace the institutions," notes the general secretary of the UIL Scuola Sardegna. "Many of them have found it impossible to maintain a normal working life, to the point of giving up their jobs or taking on precarious employment in order to guarantee care for their children."
