Traveller and other disadvantaged children are being denied their education by having their hours at school restricted, protestors outside the Department of Education in Athlone heard on Friday. All the main national Traveller representative bodies were at the protest called by local mother Trish Reilly Nolan, whose son Alex (9) has, since May, been told to attend school for just an hour a day due to what his school has described as “behavioural issues”. After the issue and her case were highlighted by The Irish Times last month, she had been contacted by Traveller parents across the State. He called on parents whose children were affected to contact local or national Traveller organisations for support. “We are working with Tusla and with the Department of Children to examine options to ensure the use of reduced school timetables is limited to circumstances where it is appropriate.”

Source: The Irish Times November 30, 2018 17:48 UTC