School transport chaos is leaving families abandoned
School transport chaos is leaving families abandoned - The Labour Party
Labour Education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny TD has called for urgent intervention from the Minister for Education as families continue to struggle to secure school transport places and receive even basic information about their cases.
Deputy Kenny said:
“My Labour colleagues and I are at our wits’ end with the school transport system.
“We are making representation after representation to Bus Éireann on behalf of families and, in far too many cases, we are getting no reply whatsoever.
“That raises a very basic question: Is anyone taking responsibility for responding to families who are desperately looking for answers? Does Bus Éireann have the resources required to carry this out? Do the Department and Bus Éireann have a clear picture of what is happening across the system?
“In some cases we are talking about children with special educational needs, where reliable transport can be absolutely essential to their ability to attend school. Leaving those families in limbo is simply not good enough.
“It is the same chaos year after year. I called for a complete overhaul of the School Transport Scheme before schools reopened. What we are seeing now only strengthens that case.
“The Minister must intervene and ensure there is a proper escalation and response system for unresolved school transport cases.This is about children getting to school. Families deserve clarity and a functioning service. What they are experiencing at the moment is simply not good enough.”