St Mary's Special School hopeful provision of hot meals can continue
Parents and staff at St Mary's Special School are hopeful of a solution which would enable hot meals to be continued to be provided for students each day.
The school community had been devastated by a recent decision which would leave children without hot meals at lunchtime.
The Community Employment Scheme (CE) which provided the service to the school is being withdrawn on the instructions of the Department of Social Protection.
Principal Maria Corredor said that the school has applied for additional funding so that hot meals could be provided.
In a recent response from Minister Heather Humphreys to Cllr Tommy Reilly, the Minister pointed out that the school received €29,995 each year for the provision of a breakfast and hot dinner for the schoolchildren.
“Without the Community Employment staff to cook the meals, that is not enough to provide breakfast and a hot meal for 84 children,” said Ms Corredor.
“The Department of Social Protection has been engaging with us and we have made an application for additional funding to enable us to provide hot meals. They have been talking about outsourcing the provision of meals.”
She said she was hopeful the additional funding would be provided.
At one time, there were five workers on a CE scheme at the school, but recently there were just two, who provide the hot meals.
When the school was informed of the withdrawal of the CE scheme the Department of Social Protection said that since 2001, schools have not participated in the CE programme, following the transfer of CE schools-related funding by Fás to the Department of Education at that time.
“Department officials have continued to engage with the school to assist their management in addressing this issue.
"The Department has also been working with the CE sponsor since August 2020 to arrange for a gradual withdrawal of the two CE participants from St Mary’s school and, to ensure that funding continues until their agreed end-dates.
“This phased approach has afforded St Mary’s school management a further opportunity to make the necessary alternative arrangements, in line with other schools.”
Parents had been devastated by the recent decision pointing out the children have very long days, leaving their homes very early in the morning to travel to school.