Schools set to sue the State for its broken promises over buildings
Parents campaign group Tuismitheoirí le Chéile (TLC) recently asked schools to compile letters received from the Department of Education over past years which indicated that funding was available to improve their premises.
A number of schools where the work has not yet been carried out have forwarded the correspondence to TLC to be assessed by their solicitors.
The cases are being prepared by Ernest Cantillon's legal firm which represented Kathy Sinnott in her case against the State to provide education for her adult autistic son Jamie.
The legal company said there would be a strong case if it can be shown that promises or agreements were entered into between the minister and schools to provide funding for certain building works.
TLC spokesperson Florence Horsman-Hogan said enough information appears to have been supplied by at least two schools and a number of others are coming back with further documents.
Meanwhile, 139 pupils at St Nessan's Primary School in Mungret, Co Limerick, were forced to stay at home yesterday after a number of students had a miraculous escape from injury last Thursday.
Part of the ceiling in one of the school's dilapidated prefab buildings collapsed during class.
Stephen Cahill, principal of the 730-pupil school, said: "The affected pupils will not be allowed back into the prefab classrooms unless we get an engineer's report saying that the buildings are structurally sound and safe."
The Office of Public Works confirmed last night the structural engineers' initial assessment is that the two prefab units incorporating the five classrooms are repairable and this will be conveyed to the Department of Education.
