Special school to pay €4,000 for refusing Traveller

A CO Kerry school has been ordered to pay a Traveller family €4,000 in compensation for discrimination against a young boy with special needs.

The dispute between St Ita’s & St Joseph’s School, Tralee, and Nora Faulkner was brought before the Director of Equality Investigations.

Ms Faulkner explained that her son, who is now 16, had been experiencing learning difficulties ever since he first started attending school.

On November 4, 2002, Ms Faulkner had her son assessed by Brendan Connolly, a psychologist with the National Education Psychological Service, who confirmed that the son needed to be educated in a special school.

Mr Connolly told her he would send a letter of recommendation to the principal of St Ita’s & St Joseph’s School asking that meet her and her son.

Having heard nothing from the school in the ensuing weeks, Ms Faulkner decided to contact the school principal, Oliver O’Connor, herself.

She said she phoned him on November 20, 2002, and explained to him that she was a Traveller whose son had been psychologically assessed and that a report to this effect had already been sent to the school recommending him for admission to St Ita’s & St Joseph’s School. In response, she said Mr O’Connor started “roaring” down the phone at her stating that he would not be taking her son in.

Some months later, at the request of her son, she said she tried to contact Mr O’Connor again but was told that he was not available to talk to her.

Ms Faulkner said at the hearing that her son has been out of school since 2002 on account of his failure to gain admission to St Ita’s & St Joseph’s School.

The Equality Officers said Ms Faulkner had established a prima facie case of discrimination.