Lisnaskea High Community Action Group are exploring every avenue to keep their site open
A FOCUS on the regeneration of the community is at the heart of the newly-formed Lisnaskea High School Community Action Group, and they intend to explore every avenue to ensure the survival of their site in the wake of the proposed amalgamation with Devenish College.
Chairperson of the group, Doreen Mullan, a former pupil at the school spoke to the Herald about the frustration of parents after the first initial meeting regarding the closure. A second meeting was then held at which Doreen was asked to be the chair.
“I think the mood was slightly more upbeat. At the initial meeting you could see quite a deflating mood as the principal privately told us the school was definitely closing
“At the public meeting, we were told by the Western Education and Library Board it was only proposed.”
Following the first meeting, the Action group started to seek support through a number of different avenues, such as a petition.
“People are coming to members from both sides of the community who know we want the school kept open.”
She went on: “We’re looking at a number of things: we are writing to all the parents to stop them taking children away (from the school).
“If you had a child at the school, your first instinct is: where will we send the child? But, the parents are getting mixed messages, people are going to believe the powers that be rather than people around a table.”
Doreen explained that the Group will also be engaging with all the local community groups towards looking for letters of support.
“We are also looking at developing a business plan to suggest other ideas for a shared education.
“There are lots of ways to do shared education, you can have shared teachers, move children from site to site. We’re looking at every angle.”
The petition is being put around the catchment areas of ‘feeder schools’, and, the Boards of Governors for the seven are being challenged to endorse the school being kept open.
At the crux of the problem, Doreen feels, is the fact that parents/guardians felt blindsighted by the original proposals for closure.
“I don’t think they have been consulted. There was outrage at the first meeting as people were wondering: where did this come from? Something as big as a closure should be maybe put in a letter.”
The group now plans to have discussions with Nick Hambly (headmaster) and the Board of Governors of Lisnaskea High.
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