Delegates from the Fórsa trade union's education division have backed an emergency motion calling on the Government "to complete the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccinations to staff within all special education schools".
It said the vaccination schedule "should take account of the fact that SNAs in schools provide the same level of care to students as frontline healthcare workers".
The motion came after Minister for Education Norma Foley addressed the union's conference, which is taking place online.
Minister Foley said she understands the sense of disappointment among those in the education sector on the changes to the vaccine roll-out schedule.
However, she also reiterated her defence of the Government decision to change it from an occupation-based approach, to one led by age.
She told delegates that much of the last week has been focused on the vaccination roll-out and that this new schedule has disappointed many in the education sector as it has in other sectors.
"I understand that sense of disappointment," she said.
She said when the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) made its initial recommendations, it committed to keeping priority groups under review.
"It is now considered a person's risk from contracting Covid is primarily determined by age and this outweighs risks through exposure by occupation."
She said national and international studies also show that age is the single strongest predictor on whether an individual will be admitted to hospital or possibly die from Covid.
"As I have said earlier this week, this is not a decision based on how we value professions... but based on science."
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Carmel Stone has been an SNA at Our Lady's School Galway for over 20 years and said she is dismayed that her cohort are no longer prioritised in the vaccine rollout.
"We are in busy, high risk environments working with vulnerable children with special needs and challenging behaviours. Both they and us need proper support and protection.
"We are not trying to skip a queue but to be vaccinated in parallel with other vulnerable groups."
Principal Cliona O'Neill said SNAs, teachers and guards are all frontline workers and should be given prioritisation as a matter of urgency.
Lorraine Tuck, whose youngest child Manus has autism and other complex special needs, said there should be a "transparent rollout of the vaccine to all special schools across the country".
She added: "These SNAs, nurses and teachers are vital educators for our children and very much on the frontline. We need to end this bitty, ad-hoc way of distributing the vaccine."
