BY RONAN McSHERRY
BBC presenter Stephen Nolan is lending his considerable weight to a Loughmacrory mother's campaign that her little school-starting son be allowed to use the same school bus as his older brother who is in Primary 2.
As exclusively reported in the July 26 UH, four-year-old Daniel Gallagher lives between Mountfield and Loughmacrory and is due to commence P1 at St Teresa's Primary School, Loughmacrory, on Monday. However, the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) will not grant him a place on the school bus which passes the end of his lane eventhough his five-year-old brother Noel travels on the same bus twice daily.
He is one of three children living on the road who is due to start P1 in Loughmacrory on Monday being denied access to the bus. The Gallagher family has been told that St Brigids' PS, Mountfield, is the nearest school; therefore, under legislation, Daniel is not entitled to travel on the bus along with his brother.
MLA Barry McElduff has described as "bureaucracy gone mad" and he has had the phonelines hopping on Radio Ulster's Stephen Nolan Show. Daniel's mother, Róisín Gallagher now faces the possibility of driving behind the bus to leave her son to school.
"I was on the Stephen Nolan Show on Monday and he was very sympathetic to our plight," she said. "People phoned in supporting us as well. Nolan was very good, I have to say, and he challenged the board about this decision."
On Monday, the Nolan Show as well as television cameras will make its way to the bus-stop as Noel gets the bus to school while Daniel will not be allowed to board.
"There will be live radio here on Monday," Róisín said. "The situation is at a stalemate as the WELB are not shifting. They sent a statement into The Nolan Show saying they are flexible in all cases but then said they cannot change their decision in this case as it could open the floodgates.
"Nolan challenged them about claiming to be flexible but then seeming to be inflexible in this situation. None of their spokespersons would go on the show. I think they are afraid of Nolan."
With the backing of Stephen Nolan and the public reaction, the Gallagher family hopes the impasse can be resolved sensibly. Roisin concluded, "The press and public are aware of the situation. Hopefully with their support and that of our public representatives, the board will relent."
