Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, Deputy Foley, for coming to the Chamber to take this Topical Issue matter. It should be noted that all four Deputies from Cork North-Central are in agreement on this. We have consulted parents, corresponded with students and discussed it among ourselves and the wider school community over recent weeks and months. To say communication has been poor is an understatement. It is misleading to say a consultation process, or an adequate one at least, has been undertaken. The decision to amalgamate St. Vincent's Secondary School and North Presentation Secondary School is being foisted upon people late in the day, denying students enrolment options elsewhere and evicting students of the four autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classes in the Lir hub in St. Vincent's Secondary School from a building where they are immersed in a whole-school experience, potentially moving them to a prefabricated building in a car park.

We are calling on the Minister to engage with the trustees and patrons of both schools to ensure students' right to achieve their full personal, social and academic potential is achieved by consensus. We call on her to use her office to get the trustees to review their decision and, at the very least, re-engage with the school community and pause the current plans for amalgamation.

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