Principal meets parents following row over gender-neutral toilets in Kerry school
A compromise has been reached between the parents and the board of management where toilets will be all male on the third floor, all female on the middle and unisex on the bottom floor.
A row has broken out over gender-neutral toilets in the new Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí in the home town of Education Minister Norma Foley.
The principal at the school has met with a group of concerned parents over the new Department of Education design for toilets.
The €16m, 600-pupil Irish secondary school for boys and girls will open its doors on April 24 in Tralee.
The building is designed in accordance with new Department of Education guidelines, with all toilets suitable for either boys or girls. It is up to each school, however, to assign the toilets.
The original plans for unisex or gender-neutral toilets across the school have caused concern among some parents.
A compromise has been reached between the parents and the board of management, where toilets will be all male on the third floor, all female on the middle and unisex on the bottom floor.
Principal Ruairí Ó Cinnéide said on Wednesday morning the building was designed around Department of Education specifications. It will be one of the first schools to open with new toilet design.
He has met with the group of concerned parents.
"I have listened to and taken on board their concerns," Mr Ó Cinnéide told Radio Kerry on Wednesday morning.
"I think the design is very good," he added. "Privacy in each cubicle was assured and the communal areas were also safe."
He believes the arrangement with exclusive facilities for boys and girls along with unisex will cater for the needs of all.
However the arrangement will be "kept under review".
The Education Minister has been asked for comment.
