The Department of Education continues its policy of combating truancy by prosecuting parents, and this week (March 20 ) the District Court saw the parents of five children brought before Judge Seamus Hughes to face such summonses.
The first two sets of parents, who husbands are related, had been warned on February 27 the fathers would face a month in jail each if their three children did not show a significant improvement in their school attendance by March 20.
“The National Educational Welfare Board is happy there has been a marked improvement in the case of [the named daughter] from 70 per cent to 90 per cent [attendance] but the report on the nine-year-old [brother] is not good,” said Ms Patricia Cronin for the Department.
She revealed the boy had been absent for nine of the last 13 days of school, and that only four of these had been certified by a doctor as mandated on the previous court date as the only acceptable excuse for an absence.
The parents’ legal aid solicitor, Mr Paul Connellan, explained the boy had a problem with head lice, but that the family had not been able to afford all the fees to allow this be properly certified.
Judge Hughes heard how the boy’s 10-year-old cousin had been in a different county, but returned to Athlone, and had some difficulties getting re-enrolled, which had led to “some very substantial absences”.
He adjourned the two cases again until April 17 to allow for the Easter holidays.
The next parent before the judge had allowed her 14-year-old son miss 107 of the 120 days of school since he started second year last September.
She said that this was because the school was remiss in its accommodation of her son’s dyspraxia.
“He managed in primary and first year,” noted the judge.
“He finds the school very hard,” said the mother.
“We all did,” said the judge.
Solicitor Mr Padraig Quinn pointed out that the boy’s occupational therapist had suggested her charge gets an updated psychological report, but Ms Cronin said the boy must be attending school if the Department of Education was to facilitate this.
She also pointed out that the Department had already offered help from five separate organisations “but they were all refused”.
The mother claimed the boy had “threatened to do away with himself” if brought to school, and would run away when brought to the gate.
Judge Hughes gently suggested walking him into the classroom, but the mother replied: “I don’t want to make a show of him in front of his class”.
This case was also put back to April 17 to see what improvements could be made.
