The shortage of support professionals in the municipal schools of Paulínia (SP) has caused the exclusion of children with disabilities from the school environment. Mothers report that notebooks remain blank because their children must stay home due to the absence of specialized accompaniment.
The Paulínia City Hall clarified that the current support professionals assist approximately 360 out of 816 students with disabilities enrolled in the municipal network. Furthermore, a new selection process has been initiated to normalize the service staff by the year 2027.
One case cited is that of student Luiz Miguel, 8 years old, diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) level 3 support, who does not use speech for communication and requires daily assistance. Enrolled in the 2nd grade at the Municipal School Yolanda Tiziani Pazetti, he had a support teacher until the previous year. However, Luiza Maria Carvalho de Oliveira, his mother, discovered at the end of August that her son would no longer have this professional. After consulting the school administration, she was informed that there would be no support teachers for Luiz Miguel that year, leading her to suspend the child's attendance.
Luiza Maria Carvalho de Oliveira expressed her despair, questioning the fairness of the situation and the existence of laws that guarantee a support teacher for autistic children. She reported that the boy used a wheelchair and was moved in it to lie down.
Rare conditions
Another example is that of student Tiffany, also 8 years old, diagnosed at birth with Charge syndrome, a rare genetic condition that can affect vision, hearing, breathing, and general development. Until May of this year, Tiffany's mother, Driele Aparecida da Silva, personally accompanied her daughter at the Municipal School Professora Elvira de Cássia Oliveira. However, with the birth of a second child, the family routine became unsustainable.
Driele informed that the city hall had offered support for home studies, but the girl continues not to attend school in person due to the lack of a health professional on site. Tiffany has a tracheostomy and is fed via tube, requiring constant monitoring by a health professional, as detailed by Driele. Since 2022, the family has sought the City Hall to guarantee this professional, and his absence is currently the main obstacle.
Guaranteed right
Vivian Regina de Carvalho Camargo, president of the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), emphasized that the Statute of the Person with Disability establishes education as a universal right and imposes on the public power the obligation to provide an inclusive system at all levels. She warned that the lack of a support professional, if the person cannot hire a private lawyer, should be brought to the Public Prosecutor's Office or the Public Defender's Office. According to her, the absence of this necessary support may constitute discrimination, provided for in the Brazilian Inclusion Law, and such refusal is subject to criminal punishment.
Regarding the overall picture, the Paulínia City Hall confirmed that there are 816 students with some disability, ASD, or high abilities in the municipal network. The administration guarantees that all receive Specialized Educational Assistance (AEE) during the after-school period, and specialized classroom support is provided in specific cases, currently serving about 360 students. Although the city hall recognizes the deficit of professionals, it reaffirms its commitment to completing the staff roster, having conducted a new selection process to incorporate new employees and regularize service until 2027.