Anger at threat to school bus service
PARENTS are furious at the likely scrapping of a bus service to a Castlebaldwin School in June. Principal of Cloghogue N. S, Aisling Tighe fears the school could suffer extreme consequences.
As of September 2016 numbers at the school have gone down resulting in them going from a four to three teacher school.
“Our biggest fear as a school community is that our numbers will decrease further if our school bus is taken from us. If the bus service is withdrawn these parents will have to send their children to school near where they work and make use of after school facilities in towns and this will have an enormous impact on the school.”
“Bus Eireann don’t care that there are 16 children travelling on their service to the school and that this number will be maintained for at least the next four years. They don’t care that they will cause huge upheaval for some families if they cancel the bus service.” said Ms Tighe.
“The closing date for parents of eligible children to apply for a place on the bus is the 28th April. The parents, staff and the wider community of Cloghogue N. S. are determined to fight to this date and beyond for the sake of the sixteen children who are happily travelling to school, unaware that this could well be their last year in Cloghogue N. S.” she said.
Geraldine Conlon is one of many parents who will be affected by the cut. She currently has two children using the bus service with a third child starting this September her like many parents rely solely on the bus service.
“My husband and I have considered giving up work or moving schools. It came quiet suddenly and to be honest I don’t think we have met the criteria for years, so why now?
“Shock is what we are all feeling and an urgency of what we need to do. It is soul destroying for the school.” added Geraldine echoing the sentiments of many other parents who are in the same position.
A spokeswoman for Bus Éireann said: “School transport services are operated by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills ( DoES). In the case of Clohogue NS, there are only two pupils who satisfy the conditions of eligibility for school transport set out in the scheme.
“Current indications are that the service to Clohogue N. S will cease in June 2017 as the number of eligible pupils would suggest that it will fall below the minimum number of eligible children needed.
“However, if the applications for the new school year 2017/ 2018 meet the minimum requirement of 10 eligible pupils then the service will continue from September 2017.”