Newry Armagh Sinn Féin Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

SELB slammed over unreasonable removal of school bus facility

Published: 15 January, 2009

Sinn Fein Councillor Mary Doyle has spoken out this week stating that the removal of a school bus service for a family whose children attend St. Patrick's High School, Keady was unreasonable.

Cllr. Doyle said

"I was first contacted at the beginning of the school year by parents who were distraught at the news that they were no longer entitled to a school bus service to take their children to school.

"The children have been receiving school transport for seven years as their home is three miles from the school; suddenly they were contacted by the SELB and told that they were no longer entitled to the bus service. The SELB informed the family that from the front door of the children's home to the FRONT door of the school was 3 miles however from their front door to the BACK door of the school was 2.9 miles and as this was the shortest route to school it fell below the 3 mile threshold criteria. Understandably the family are extremely frustrated by this response and feel that the SELB gave a totally unreasonable and unacceptable reason for the removal of the bus."

"I have contacted the District Transport Officer in the Southern Education and Library Board and since then I have not received a satisfactory response or a resolution to the problem."

"I am calling on the SELB to explain why suddenly after seven years was this bus removed? Neither the school nor the children's home has moved one inch. This is taking departmental savings to a deplorable extreme, and it puts children and families under considerable stress."