A teenage girl with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other difficulties, and an intellectual disability, who has been out of school for more than a year, is seeking court orders compelling the Minister for Education to get her into a school.
The constitutional right to free primary education is “meaningless” unless the Minister acts now to find a school for the teenager (14), according to Mark de Blacam SC. Ms Justice Iseult O’Malley said she hoped to rule later this month.
The family came to Dublin in 2008. They got a place for the girl in 2010 in St Michael’s House Grosvenor School. She was excluded temporarily in December 2011 due to her challenging behaviour.
That exclusion was made permanent from February 2012.
She received home tuition from April to June 2012 and is also receiving services from the HSE. The home tuition did not resume again until last December and was continuing for two hours daily, Mr de Blacam said.
While the girl was coping and there was no complaint against her tutor, the case was that she “should be at school”.