Parents to take legal action against Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne

West Kerry Parents to take legal action against Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne

A group of parents in West Kerry are taking legal proceedings against Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne for the enforcement of their all-Irish policy at the new public school which opened last September in Dingle. Concerned Parents of Chorca Dhuibhne (CPCD) have been lobbying for a change in school all-Irish teaching policy for several months, requesting that a bilingual stream be made available for students.
A solicitor's letter, dated December 7th, has been issued to the Board of Management and the Trustees of the school stating:

"You will be aware if our' clients grave concerns with regard to their children's education arising from the enforcement of the strict all-Irish teaching policy in Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne."
"Despite discussions, communications and extensive correspondence with the Board of Management the Trustees and the Minister for Education or clients urgent concerns have not been addressed."
"We are putting you on notice that after the expiration of seven days from the date of this letter we will proceed to commence High Court proceedings against which will include the seeking of injunctive relief."
The move towards legal action has been described " inevitable" by many local parents. A number of public meetings have been hosted on the matter over the last few months highlighting the problems experienced by several students at the school.
Concerns arose from the parents of children with learning difficulties who felt their children could not cope with the all-Irish policy.Some other students who moved to the area from other countries said it was impossible for them to do well in school through Irish alone while students from the Annascaul area said they felt they were being ignored in the debate, as they are in the Dingle school catchment area, but are not in An Ghaeltacht.
In October, up to 80 students staged a sit-out at the school for two days, refusing to attend classes unless a change in policy was implemented.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin ordered that a survey be conducted on students and parents in the school in an effort to resolve the situation, however since then no survey has taken place.
In a statement released by the group last week CPCD last week, they claimed that several students at the Dingle school have resorted to 'grinds' in Tralee several times a week as they do not understand what is happening in class, calling for "compassion for children who are unable to reach their potential due to the all-Irish policy enforcement at the school" as there is no other public school in the area.