by Michael Devlin

THE LOCAL woman spear-heading the battle to prevent St Joseph's High School in Plumbridge from closing has spoken of her community's devastation this week.

Mary McDonnell says people are 'heart-broken' and 'distraught' following Friday's hearing at the High Court in Belfast when the judge dismissed her appeal for judicial review.

Mrs McDonnell had applied for a review of the planned closure of the school on the grounds of "no meaningful consultation". However, the judge rejected that point, saying local people had "voted with their feet" by sending their children to other schools.

Mrs McDonnell, who has three children at the school, says the news is "tearing the heart out of the community."

"To be quite truthful about it, I don't know what we're going to do now," she admitted this week. "I have two children here who don't know where they're going to be next term.

"The children are heart-broken – not just my children but all the other children at the school. They're devastated and so upset. This decision is tearing the heart out of this community."

Lawyers for Mrs McDonnell had argued the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, which made the decision, did not consult properly. However, counsel for the CCMS said the organisation had acted conscientiously. Mr Justice Gillen told Friday's court that an attempt to consider the possibility of amalgamation and a lengthy and detailed discussion with parents were proof that the CCMS approached the matter with an open mind.

The local mother's battle was initially inspired by her daughter Roisin who, following the announcement that the school would close, had contacted an organisation concerned with children's law. Roisin said she contacted the 'Children's Law Society' because she wanted to know if she had rights as a child to oppose the closure. From there, her mother embarked on mounting a legal challenge to the closure decision.

She continued, "When it comes to the final day of school before the summer holidays, the realisation will hit home then. It all comes down to money at the end of the day and the school and the grounds will probably be sold to developers for flats or something."

Mrs McDonnell also believes that the establishment of the new Holy Cross College in Strabane spelled the end for St Joseph's.

"I have no doubts about it," she said. "Our school was sacrificed for the new school in Strabane. It's a disgrace, what they have done to these children.

"CCMS doesn't seem to care what a closure like this can do for a child's future.

"Unfortunately for us, there isn't much more we can do now. It would take a miracle to stop it now."