St Teresa's Special School Ballinasloe - SOS!

St Teresas Special School, based in Ballinasloe Enterprise Centre, Creagh Road Ballinasloe  is facing closure due to soaring insurance costs. The school caters for 21 students with special needs.
A petition has been set up asking Minister Joe McHugh TD and the Department of Education for additional resources to ensure St. Teresa’s Special School in Ballinasloe can remain open and meet the cost for this year’s insurance which is €26,317 and to ensure the future of St. Teresa’s Special School by bringing it under the State Claims Agency to resolve this issue and protect those most vulnerable in society.
https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/st-teresa-s-special-school-save-our-school  
 
Update From the school ( 15th May 2019).
 

I am pleased to give you a more hopeful update on behalf of Teresa’s Special School.  Today we had some good news. The Department of Education have invited us to a meeting to discuss our insurance issues.   We are hopeful that this meeting will lead to a resolution and therefore ,in good faith,  we are deferring  next Tuesday’s  protest outside the Dáil.   A positive outcome will mean that we can keep  our school open long into the future.
We have been inundated with  messages and  phone calls offering practical support from our Unions, (impacat, Forsa), bus contractors (offering busses for the trip),  fellow schools and the broader community.  They have always been there when we needed them and they are standing by us once more.
We would like to thank our local Councillors and Council Candidates , TDs and MEPs/ MEP candidates who have helped us. They have made it a priority to come to the school in person to speak with the us at this difficult time and we appreciate this deeply.   Outside of the school,  TDs, Senators, and MEPs have met with us both locally  and in the Dáil to ensure that our situation reaches all the way to the  Oireachtas .These include
Eugene Murphy TD., Maria Walsh, Candidate for MEP,  Cllr Aidan Donoghue, Denis Naughton TD, Anne Rabitte, TD MEP Candidate, Cllr Michael Connelly and Harriett Bruce. and all our local candidates. Ken Campbell is one of our parents and is actively involved since this issue arose.  We are expecting a visit from Michael Fitzmuarice  TD, and Jimmy MCClearn
Harriet Bruce organised a meeting for us with Bernard Durkin, T.D and Eugene Murphy, TD we also met with Senator David Norris who sent an email of support today.
We have had good support from Cllr Dermot Connolly who organised a meeting with Matt Carey MEP, Mike Kelly, Cllr Michael Finnerty, Mike Kelly, Jackie Cahill, TD
Aisling Dolan and Tim Broderick, all of who have made representations to the Minister for Education
We would like to thank Eugene Murphy TD, Bernard Durkin, TD for their kind advice and support.  In particular, Anne Rabbitte who was organising  the logistics for the now postponed visit to the Dáil next Tuesday.
We are extremely grateful to  Denis Naughton, TD and  Senator Maura Hopkins who have worked  steadfastly  to arrange this important meeting with the Senior Officials of the Department of Education  as quickly as possible .
It has been heart warming to discover that so many TD’s, Senators and MEPS, not listed here, including some outside our constituency,  continue to give their  time and energy to  plead our case to  the Minister of Education.
Any forward movement would not be possible without all of this support. It has strengthened our resolve as we continue to educate and care for the children while fighting to keep our doors open.
At the end of the day, this is all about the pupils in our care and their families.  We as a community are hopeful that this meeting  will lead to a positive resolution, so that we can continue to focus on being the school that our pupils deserve and need, as is their right.
Anita O’Reilly
On behalf of the children, parents and staff of St. Teresa’s Special School