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Local Parents Sound The Alarm: Hundreds Left In Limbo Due To School Places Dilemma

One local parent said she's applied to three schools.

Parents have voiced their frustrations over a lack of school places locally.

A public meeting was held last Thursday in Prosperous to highlight concerns.

Speaking on Kildare Today, Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan said the government is not asleep at the wheel when it comes to school places.

He said duplication of applications by parents is causing undue delays.

However, Cllr Aidan Farrelly said there's no joined up thinking on the issue.

Local parent Therese from Kildare Town said she's applied to three schools in Kildare Town, Newbridge and The Curragh.

She said her child is being penalised because he's outside the catchment area for a school that has the resources to deal with her son's needs.

"The criteria needs to be looked at, but the problem is it's not black and white. A lot of children will need to attend schools outside their own area."

She has emailed Education Minister Norma Foley and now plans to contact local TDs.

"Education is supposed to be a right for every child but now I'm in a sitation where I can't get him into a school. This has a knock on effect on my child's mental health. What am I supposed to tell him when he asks me what school he is going to?"

She added: "It will be a long, tough fight. Parents of children with special needs spend most of their lives fighting for their children. Education is a right. I'm just going to have to keep putting my voice out there for him."

"The application system needs to be looked at. Parents are applying for multiple schools but that is taking up time. There needs to be an easier system for parents to make applications. There should also be something on application forms to explain the needs of your child."

Cllr Aidan Farrelly said hundreds, if not thousands, of people are finding themselves in a similar situation.

"This problem isn't going anywhere because the population is only going one way. Parents are at their wits end."

Listen back to the full discussion here: 

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