Schools face logistical nightmare
CLOSURE ORDER REVERSED
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PRINCIPALS, teachers and parents faced a logistical nightmare this morning ( Tuesday) as schools across Fingal reopened after the Minister for Education lifted an initial closure order, following an unexpected change in the weather.
Last Friday, Batt O'Keeffe announced a decision to shut all schools until Thursday, with further snowstorms and freezing conditions forecast. But that order was revoked on Monday afternoon, leaving principals and parents with a matter of hours to organise arrangements for today's reopenings.
St Colmcille's Boys National School in Swords was one of those forced to close last week, due to a combination of burst water pipes and frozen grounds, and principal Jim Bennett outlined his difficulties.
'I've spent a day answering phones and doing the things that will enable the school to open tomorrow,' principal Jim Bennett said on Monday. 'Once the Minister made the announcement, parents have been ringing the school and the phones have been hopping non-stop.
'It's messy in that they were told not to come back until Thursday when the first decision was made. If you have teachers away down the country, you have to give them sufficient notice, so that they're travelling in daylight.
'All staff have been contacted for tomorrow. It's been messy, but no one can legislate for bad weather. The Minister was caught between a rock and a hard place.' Mr Bennett warned of further problems as the debate raged over whether the lost days were deemed as 'exceptional closings' or not.
' The primary school year is 183 days - the bigger picture is whether schools will have to make up the time,' he added. Swords Educate Together was another school forced to close due to the weather last week which reopened today and principal, Gerard Kelly, said they were in a position to open on Monday morning.
'We secured personnel and machinery to scrape the road on Friday,' Mr Kelly said. 'As a local board of management, we did the best we could.
'I think everyone was caught by surprise. No one is to blame and everybody is doing their best. We are pleased to be opening again tomorrow.'
- Robin KIELY
