For months, parents of students at Dukathole LSEN School have voiced serious concerns over a deteriorating learning environment, and now two official government reports have validated their protests and concerns.

South Africa's special education policies are designed to protect the country's most vulnerable, but at Dukathole LSEN School in Ekurhuleni, those protections appear to exist only on paper.

Daily Maverick spoke to parents who voiced a list of concerns, ranging from the regression of their children to hygiene and safety violations.

"We are not getting a clear vision of where the children are going," one parent explained, noting that instead of progressing, learners were losing vital developmental milestones and confidence.

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Despite the presence of speech and occupational therapists, specialised therapy is reportedly determined by subjective judgements, such as a child "not being that bad", rather than clinical necessity.

Furthermore, while many learners at Dukathole are non-verbal, they have never been taught alternative communication systems such as Makaton, the Picture Exchange Communication System (Pecs), or other augmentative tools.

Another major concern for parents is the absence of Individual Support Plans (ISPs), which remain unaddressed well into the school year.

As one parent explained: "We still haven't been approached for Individual Support Plans in March. You cannot engage a child with special needs without first doing an ISP, because how will you know what to address, how to help the child in...