In the Novoselskaya special school located in the Ternopil region, serious violations of the rights of children with special educational needs residing and being educated there have been uncovered.
The Ombudsman of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, announced the results of an unscheduled inspection of the institution, which was recently conducted by a monitoring group from his office in collaboration with representatives from the National Social Service and civil society, the Ukrainian Network for Children's Rights, and the Voices of Children Foundation. This inspection was initiated following a report concerning violence against children in the special school.
Specifically, the monitoring group recorded testimonies from children and is investigating allegations of sexual abuse within the institution.
It has been noted that the special school lacks a system for tracking student attendance. The administration and teachers are unaware of how many children are supposed to be in class and where they are when absent.
Additionally, it is reported that children are intimidated with threats of being placed in a psychiatric facility for misbehavior, and medications, including psychotropic drugs and sedatives, are administered to the students without medical prescriptions, oversight, or confirmation of diagnoses.
"The school does not have any agreements with local healthcare institutions to ensure proper oversight of prescriptions, treatment adjustments, and health monitoring of students. The personal files of the children lack several important documents and up-to-date assessments of their health and development," the statement said.
According to the Ombudsman, even in the presence of monitors, the staff of the institution psychologically pressured the children, insulting and pushing them.
It is also indicated that, despite the status of a specialized institution and the large number of children with special educational needs, there are no correctional teachers, speech therapists, defectologists, massage therapists, or other specialists in the school, whose presence is crucial for the development of the students, potentially violating the child's right to education.
"Children are not provided with necessary personal hygiene items, they lack personal belongings, clothing, and toys. During the visit, monitors discovered humanitarian aid that had been in the institution for over a year, yet personal hygiene supplies have not reached the children in that time. The same situation applies to named New Year's gifts. Children live in rooms that have long needed repairs and replacement of broken furniture," the report states.
The inspection revealed that the food storage area contains products with unknown expiration dates.
"One child, who is allergic to certain products, often goes hungry in the evening because no alternative is offered to him," the report highlights.
In addition to the inappropriate conditions for the stay and overall development of the child, alcohol was found accessible to children in the classroom designated for culinary lessons.
"The management of the institution claims that children do not use the classroom, and it is exclusively used by staff as their own dining room. Children informed the monitoring group that such 'celebrations' were organized by school staff multiple times," the report states.
The statement from the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Verkhovna Rada does not disclose the name of the institution. However, lawyer Inna Miroshnichenko, who posted photos taken during the inspection on social media, identified it as the Novoselskaya special school of the Ternopil regional council.
The situation surrounding the special school in the Ternopil region: what preceded it
On November 7, the Prosecutor's Office of Ternopil region reported the initiation of an investigation into acts of violence in one of the special educational institutions in the area. These were uncovered as a result of a monitoring visit by a representative of the Commissioner for Children's Rights.
Based on these facts, juvenile prosecutors have opened criminal proceedings under articles 137, 151, 153, and 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (improper fulfillment of professional duties for the protection of life and health of minors, unlawful placement of a healthy person in a psychiatric institution, sexual violence, and abuse of office). The investigation has been assigned to the police.