CHILDREN from the Brackey area of Sixmilecross had to traverse a flooded road to get to school and are having to walk along roads that are both dangerous and almost unpassable in winter because the Western Education and Library Board has withdrawn their entitlement to seats on school buses, said Cllr Johnny McLaughlin.

The Board was acting on a directive from the Department of Education.

Cllr McLaughlin, speaking to the UlsterHerald on Wednesday, said the parents of six children from two families were informed in August of last year that they would lose their places on the buses. However, it was not until the excessively wet winter set in that the consequences of the Board's decision became fully apparent.

The children had to traverse quagmires and roods flooded to with some six inches deep water to make the journey to school.

Cllr McLaughlin said, "Three of the six children concerned have medical conditions which needs to be taken into consideration and for which medical evidence has been provided and forwarded to the WELB."

He continued, "I am appalled at the manner in which these families and their children have been treated and will not let up until this decision has been reversed. I will not stand by and see children made to suffer over unfair decision making by those responsible for their education."

He added, "It is through the action of the WELB that I, and the parents of these children, are now requesting an urgent meeting with the Board's transport manager to have this matter discussed and put to right."

A spokesperson for the Board said, "The WELB is currently looking into the situation regarding the two families. In clarifying the position regarding the recent changes to home-to-school transport the spokesperson advised that the Department of Education had asked all Boards to end concessionary seating on their buses as from April 1, 2007, and all affected families were informed of this decision in advance of this change to service provision.

The changes to service provision will mean safer transport for the 15,000 pupils who are entitled to the service and who are transported on a daily basis on the Board's transport fleet.

The Board wishes to emphasise that it made every effort to reduce the impact of the removal of concessionary transport and worked very hard to find alternative solutions for those families affected by the new arrangements. There has been minimal displacement of pupils as a result of the change in service provision.

The spoksperson added, "We are acutely focused on providing a safe service and will continue to modernise and upgrade its school bus fleet to provide pupils in the Western area with access to the very best school transport service. However, it has to operate within the legislative and financial requirements as laid down by Department.