General

Emotions run high among Hoenderloo staff

"We hold ourselves up for the students, but it hurts me very much how they are dealt with," says Muriëlle Dorothaal at the staff meeting of the Hoenderloo College this morning in the center of the Veluwe village. They are desperate.

Tekst Joëlle Poortvliet - redactie Onderwijsblad - 19 juni 2020 - 4 Minuten om te lezen

Image: Angeliek de Jonge

Almost the entire team of Hoenderloo College - secondary special education - is present at the action meeting organized by the education unions. "Or what's left of it," says teacher Muriëlle Dorothaal. Tears flow, because it's a bizarre school year. "They are not called 'Hoenderloo children' for nothing. They have often been removed from their homes and things have already gone wrong at all kinds of schools. Now they are put on the side of the road by Pluryn like garbage bags. That's how it feels to me. In class I try to make the best of it, but in the morning when I go to school and in the evening when I get home I cry. I will be there for my students until the very last moment," promises an emotional Dorothaal .

Appropriate place

Since the board announced the closure of both the schools and boarding schools in Hoenderloo and Deelen in December 2019, the umbrella foundation Pluryn has consistently stated that new, suitable places for the students have been found. But 'that's just not the case', says Bram Kruize. He teaches metalworking to the practical direction and knows most of the students. "One of my boys moved to a room in an institution, but then it turned out that education was not organized there. He now comes every day from Lochem to Hoenderloo with a van."

Boomerang

Anouk Baets, mentor of a group of children with autism, also has a 'boomerang pupil'. "Last Monday he had an intake for a new place to live, Wednesday was officially his last day with us. Then there was no school near his new place of residence. Today he was back. when he came to us he just stared into space. This situation has a huge impact on him."

Nobody knows where he stands

The foundation recently decided on August 1, 2020 Hoenderloo to close while previously agreed that there would be time until August 1, 2021. Even if your own skin is actually the last thing these teachers and support staff are concerned with. "Yes, we are also being wronged," says teacher Cathalijn Steenstra. "The board does not listen to the participation council, nobody knows where he or she stands." But it hurts the teachers the most that their foundation paints the wrong image to the outside world. Steenstra: "Hoenderloo should close because we would not provide good quality education and care. That affects me enormously, because my colleagues and I know what we are achieving with this group of children that no one in the Netherlands can do anything with. perspective again and enjoy going to school."

Tossing

Rolf Faken, member of the participation council of Hoenderloo College, says: "Unfortunately, most of the basic social skills that we teach our students every day are not reflected in the highest echelons of the board. The policy is unstable and Pluryn is not fair about their actual agenda."

The teaching staff estimates that there are currently about eighty of the normally 220 pupils in Hoenderloo and Deelen. No one knows whether these children will return to Hoenderloo after the summer. If it's up to Pluryn, the school will be closed. Teacher Kruize: "My anger mainly lies in the fact that it is then too late for this group of children. It is precisely the last group, which is the most difficult to place, that deserves the most attention. I fear that these young people will disappear into the system, again have to start all over again somewhere, and that they don't succeed well. With all the social consequences that entails."

Cabinet

Both the trade union leaders and politicians who climbed the action stage in Hoenderloo did not have happy news for the staff. Talks with Pluryn about a social plan have so far yielded nothing. Lisa Westerveld of GroenLinks says that she is sent from pillar to post by two ministers. "Hugo de Jonge of Public Health points to Arie Slob of education and vice versa. It is scandalous that no one takes responsibility for what is happening here."

De Jonge or Slob must take the lead in this

The MPs present in Hoenderloo - Westerveld, Peter Kwint of the SP and Attje Kuiken of the PvdA - will ask Minister De Jonge in the debate on Tuesday to intervene. Westerveld: "He or Slob must take the lead here." Do next Monday AObdistrict manager Philippe Abbing is making another attempt to move forward in the negotiations for the staff. "It takes three things to move forward: money, time and trust. At the moment, all three are still missing."

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