Tallaght mother fined €750 for not sending children to school

By Brendan Grehan

A MOTHER of six who has not been sending three of her children to school has been fined €750 by Tallaght Court.

Judge Patricia McNamara heard that the three children had been absent from school for 75 per cent of the last four weeks. The children are aged 11, 14 and 15.

The woman (51) who has an address in Tallaght, had pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a school attendance notice dated November 23, 2015, to ensure her son’s attendance at a secondary school in Tallaght and to failing to comply with two school attendance notices dated February 27, 2015 in relation to two of her daughters.

An Educational Welfare Officer from the Child and Family Agency had told the court that between August 30 and February 17 last, the youngest girl had missed 62 out of 107 days, a non-attendance rate of 58 per cent.

Between August 29 and February 17 last, the 14-year-old girl had missed 71 out of 108 days, a non-attendance rate of 66 per cent.

Between August 29 and February 17 last, the 15-year-old boy had missed 77 out of 108 days, a non-attendance rate of 71 per cent.

The woman was before Judge McNamara for a presentence report.

Judge McNamara noted that the absence rate for the three children for the last month was 75 per cent.

She told the woman: “That is just not acceptable”.

The woman’s counsel, Stephen Montgomery BL, said his client was a mother of six children and looked after two grandchildren.

He said she had lost her partner in 2012.

Convicting, Judge McNamara fined the woman €250 on each of the three charges.