Brannoxtown NS opens, and closes ...

Brannoxtown School opened yesterday, Monday 6, writes Esther Reddy, because a team of over 40 people including fathers, mothers, some children and a grandfather gathered at 3pm Sunday and cleared pathways to all the doors around the school. They then cleared the paths outside the school for about 100 metres in both directions.

One parent brought a tractor with a front load bucket and between him and many shovellers the road and edges of footpaths were cleared. The children present spread salt and gave out chocolate! The feeling of generosity of spirit and good will towards the school was palpable and this sort of response from parents is not surprising.

The quote of the day from one parent was "We'd do anything to get them back to school!", but on a more serious note parents were agreed that safety is the most important consideration. School opened on Monday but the roads around the Brannockstown area were very dangerous.

Unfortunately school couldn't open today, Tuesday, due to fresh snowfalls and freezing conditions. The text-a-parent service was down so parents couldn't be told about today's closure in that way. Again parent power kicked in and all homes were contacted.

The Board of Management is very aware of how a school closure can impact negatively on parents; not all employers are sympathetic to road conditions in country areas. However the health and safety of all of the community of Brannoxtown School has to be the priority of the Board. School will be closed tomorrow December 8 and we hope for a fresh new start on Thursday 9th.