The mother of a young student in the city says she fears her 12 year old daughter will never attend school again if a controversial merger goes ahead.
Tracey was speaking outside the gates of St. Vincent’s Secondary School yesterday where a large group of students called for plans to amalgamate the school with North Presentation School in Farranree to be scrapped.
A meeting of the school board of management and trustees is taking place today to discuss the issue, while several Cork TD’s are calling for the move to be stalled.
Tracey’s daughter Mia joined St Vincent’s last year from a special school.
Tracey told RedFM News about her fears for what will happen if Mia is forced to move schools:
"When you go into a secondary school for any young girl, there's a settling in period. Obviously somebody on the autism spectrum, it's huge. It's not something you take lightly. The adjustment is huge and amalgamation is a scary word for me, I think and I do feel in my heart and soul if it happens, there will be no more schooling from you. As a young child, she had school refusal. She did not go to school for a number of weeks and months, and it was very hard to get her back into the education system. I have a fear on my tummy that that will be the same again. There will be no more school."
