Anton McNulty
PARENTS of pupils attending a small, two-teacher school in Ballycroy have threatened to pull their pupils out of the school, due to disappointment at how a dispute there is being handled.
In a development which mirrors the crisis that affected Manulla National School in 2006, a new board of management has yet to be elected in full at Drumslide National School and a manager has been appointed by the Bishop of Killala to resolve the situation.
The issues were brought to the attention of Fr Gerry O’Donnell, Chairman of the old Board of Management, last year, but some parents feel their concerns were not investigated properly. In January of this year, the Bishop of Killala and patron of the school, the Most Rev John Fleming, appointed Mr John Cummins as Manager of the school to address and ultimately resolve the situation.
However, parents who contacted The Mayo News last week said they feel like they are being left in the dark regarding the situation, with many parents not formally informed of the Manager’s appointment. One parent, who did not wish to be named, explained that a number of issues in relation to the running of the school were being withheld from parents, and they have threatened to withdraw almost a third of the pupils from the school in September if their concerns are not dealt with in ‘a fair manner’.
“Parents are concerned regarding a number of issues and this was brought to the attention of the ex-chairman of the Board of Management last year. There was a procedure to be followed but many parents feel the issues were swept under the carpet. John Cummins was appointed Manager of the school but not everyone was told of the appointment and parents are asking questions about what is going on. We don’t want to take our children from the school and their friends but parents feel disappointed that the system has let them down,” said the parent.
Drumslide National School has 31 pupils enrolled and the withdrawal of such a high percentage would be disastrous for the school, where construction work on a new school building is due to begin this week.
The newly-appointed Manager of the school, Mr John Cummins, told The Mayo News he was hopeful that he would be able to resolve the issues and bring peace to the school. He said he was unaware of parents threatening to withdraw their children from the school but he said he would meet all the parents and discuss their concerns after the Easter break.
“I have a procedure to go through and I need to meet the people involved in a bid to resolve the issues. There are bits and pieces to be put in place and I am hopeful that the issues can be resolved and a new board of management can be elected. I have met a couple of parents but not as a whole body and I hope to meet all of them after Easter to see where we can go. There is a new school to be built and this should be a cause of celebration and hopefully I will be able to resolve the situation,” he said.
Despite numerous attempts, Fr Gerry O’Donnell could not be contacted by The Mayo News for a comment.
