Parents face being jailed over girl’s absenteeism

A judge has threatened to jail one of the parents of a teenager who is constantly missing days from school.

The girl’s parents appeared at Letterkenny District Court yesterday for failing to ensure their daughter went to school.

The case has been ongoing between the secondary school pupil’s parents and Tusla, the child and family agency.

The solicitor for Tusla said the case has been ongoing for a long time and doesn’t appear to be improving.

The court was told that the child is suffering from asthma. However, Judge Paul Kelly said he did not accept that such an ailment was an excuse for the girl missing so many days.

He instructed solicitor Gordon Curley, representing the girl’s parents, to consult with members of Tusla.

Mr Curley said he agreed that the girl had missed days in the past but the situation was improving.

But Judge Kelly asked Mr Curley “How does she feel about the prospect of one of her parents going to jail?”

After a meeting with Tulsa, Mr Curley told the court that an agreement had been reached with the parents that they would ensure their daughter went to and stayed in school.

He adjourned the case until December 6 to monitor if the girl is attending school regularly.