Counselling offered after school infant's death

The Department of Education and Science confirmed last night that it would not be carrying out an investigation into the death of four-year-old Karl Fox who died in an accident on school grounds in Co Clare on Tuesday.

The junior infants' pupil of Feakle National School choked to death after his coat became entangled on a hook as he tried to climb out of a toilet window at the school on Tuesday afternoon.

Yesterday, an inspector and two psychologists from the Department of Education's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) were in Feakle to offer counselling to the Fox family, and staff and pupils at the four-teacher Feakle National School.

A department spokeswoman said last night that individual counselling will be offered to all concerned.

She said, however, that the department would not be holding an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Karl's death.

"Our primary role and responsibility is to support the school at this time through NEPS. We will not be holding any investigation - that would be carried out by the Garda."

This morning, the east Clare community will come together in "a mass of the angels" to mourn the loss of Karl. Yesterday, a special prayer service was held at the local church to offer prayers and support to Karl's family.

Karl was the second-youngest of five children, and yesterday Feakle National School was closed as a result of the tragedy.

Parish priest Fr Michael Hogan said Karl's death "has left us all speechless, dumbfounded and quite shocked".

"The community gets on with its business day-to-day, so something like this really shakes us all. He was a very bright young lad, lively, full of beans."

Fr Hogan comforted the family on Tuesday evening and again yesterday.

"They're bearing up," he said.

Local councillor Pat Hayes said: "It is an awful tragedy to happen and particularly to happen in a school."

The Fox family arrived in Feakle four years ago, as part of Rural Resettlement Ireland's (RRI) programme of relocating Dublin families to rural areas.

RRI chairman Jim Connolly said: "We are heartbroken over this. Our hearts go out to the family."

Gardaí were yesterday examining the scene at Feakle National School. A Garda spokesperson said this takes place as a matter of course when a sudden death occurs. A postmortem was being carried out last night on Karl's remains at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.