Madam, – In its letter (April 27th) the Lucan South Secondary School Action Group states: “An Educate Together second-level school would discriminate in favour of pupils who had been to one of its primary schools”. This is not the case. In its formal application to the Department of Education and Science, Educate Together proposed that the school’s starting enrolment policy would be “First Come – First Served”. As the law dictates, the final enrolment policy of the school will be developed by the board of management of the school when sanctioned.
Educate Together is an equality-based organisation with a commitment to working in partnership to promote good community development. In Lucan it now operates five primary schools.
The parents supporting these schools have been campaigning for an Educate Together second-level school in Lucan for nearly 10 years. They have consistently lobbied public representatives, including South Dublin County Council, for a new post-primary school for the area. In 2009, they watched patiently when yet another VEC Community College was opened, the fourth in the Lucan area.
In the interests of good community development, parental rights and democracy, the next second-level school to open in the Lucan area should be an Educate Together school.
– Yours, etc,