Rossville State School students fundraise at the Lion’s Den Market for a disabled toilet at the school. Photo: Supplied.
Every child should be able to access a bathroom that meets their needs at school, but without enough funding for a disabled toilet, one Cape York school has taken matters into their own hands.
The Rossville State School P&C Association held its first baked goods and merchandise stall at the Lion’s Den Hotel market earlier this month, raising $290 of the $5,000 needed to construct the toilet in the next six months.
Belle Newman, who is the treasurer of the P&C Association and the mother of five-year-old special needs student Ingrid, said the school did not have the facilities to help kids who had toileting issues.
“Being a small school, we don’t get enough funding in order to do these extra things, and we still have special needs kids in the village that need to come to the school,” she said.
“We just don’t have the facilities in order to clean them up properly, because we don’t have showers or anything like that.
“We need a disabled toilet that has got cleaning facilities and its own room to be able to look after these kids.”
Ms Newman shared that Ingrid experienced toileting challenges due to her brain tumour and, currently, had to take her daughter home on some occasions due to the lack of appropriate infrastructure.
She said with another special needs student joining the school this year, the P&C Association decided a disabled toilet was a must, and received a quote of $5,000, which will expire in six months.
“They’ve had to basically clean her in the urinal, or I’ve had to go and pick her up from school, and clean her up and then take her back, because they just haven’t got the facilities to do it,” Ms Newman said.
The community support for the fundraising has so far been touching, with some senior students putting on their best sales charm, and marketgoers buying up every cookie and cupcake available.
The Rossville State School stall will be at both the Lion’s Den market and Rossville Sunday market over the next few weeks.
