Mother claims child is bullied in school
A MOTHER has not been sending her daughter (11) to school as she claims the child was being bullied, Tallaght District Court has heard.
The woman, in her 30’s, who has an address in Tallaght, is accused of failing to comply with a school attendance notice dated October 23, 2017, to ensure her daughter’s attendance at a National School in Tallaght.
The case was before Judge Paula Murphy for hearing.
The girls headmaster said the girl had been in the school for two years and was now in fifth class. He said there was a roll taken every day in school at 9.50am.
He said that if a child was absent for three days the teacher would phone the parent.
The girl’s teacher said that on May 30, 2017, she received a phone call from the girls mother saying that her daughter was being bullied.
She said the boy who was responsible later apologised. The teacher added that on June 7, 2017, the mother rang again to say a pupil had made an unkind comment towards her daughter.
She added: “I have never seen her being violent. She is a lovely child, very timid.”
An Educational Welfare Officer from Tusla told the court that from the issuing of the school attendance notice to the issuing of the summons there had been 96 school days and the girl had missed 25, an absence rate of 26 per cent.
She said that from the issuing of the summons to the woman’s first day in court, there had been 107 school days and the girl had missed 29, an absence rate of 27 per cent.
The EWO said that from the last day in court to the hearing date, there had been 19 school days and the girl had missed five.
She said she had referred the mother to a local charity that offered counselling services. The EWO said the mother was taken off the charity’s waiting list due to “non-engagement”.
She said that after she issued the school attendance notice, she rang the mother four times and sent one letter but received no reply.
The EWO said the mother had “failed to engage”.
She added: “I don’t believe the absences to be genuine.”
The Mother told Judge Murphy that she had “done everything” to get her daughter to go to school.
She added: “She was being touched and someone poked her in the eye. Somebody said to her ‘go kill yourself’.”
The Mother said her daughter is much happier now.
Judge Murphy said she would have to look at all the evidence before making her decision.
She adjourned the case to a date in November when she will make her decision.
