The bitter dispute over the teaching of religion at the Gaelscoil in Dunboyne, Co Meath, has escalated again, with a group of parents claiming that actions by the board of management will result in the closure of the school.
The parents, who support principal Mr Tomás Ó Dúlaing, who is facing dismissal, told a press conference yesterday that the school was "staring death in the face". At the event several TDs, among them Mr Finian McGrath and Mr Joe Costello, pledged their support for the parents.
The parents, who claim to represent the majority at the school, said the board of management's stance in seeking the principal's dismissal had alienated so many parents that the school's future was now in doubt.
"The lovely, happy atmosphere of the school has been destroyed as heartbroken children prepare themselves for the departure of their friends to other schools," said the parents' press statement.
They claimed that teachers in the school were ready to leave as a sign of solidarity with Mr Ó Dúlaing, although the board of management has strongly denied this.
A spokesman for the parents, Mr Michael Dungan, said the principal should be allowed to return to work and that a national forum involving church representatives should be set up to deal with disagreements over religion.
However, the board of management, led by local solicitor Ms Susan Power, has denied the claims and said there were enough parents interested in sending their children to Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg to keep it open in September.
The dispute centres on whether Protestant children should leave the class when Catholic children are being prepared for sacraments such as Communion. Catholic pupils are in the strong majority in the school. The principal suggested that points of doctrine which divided Catholics and Protestants should be handled outside school hours.
However, the board said all religious instruction should take place within school hours and sought to dismiss him.
In a letter this week to parents, the board said facilitators were working on a solution to some issues at the centre of the dispute. "We would urge all the school community to co-operate fully with the facilitators in their efforts to reconcile differences on the issue of interdenominationalism within our school community."
The row is set to worsen on Monday week when the schools's patron body, Foras Pátrúnachta, holds a hearing into whether Mr Ó Dúlaing should be dismissed. The primary teachers union, the INTO, supports the principal and its officials will be present.
The board of management has also asked Foras to take over the running of the school for a period.
The board wants a manager to run the school and it says it will help this individual in every way.
Foras Pátrúnachta is the patron body for several interdenominational Irish-speaking schools. Its schools have been recognised by the Department of Education for several years.