asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that parents of children who have reached the age of fourteen years and have accepted employment are open to summonses from school attendance officers if the children do not continue to attend school until the end of the school term; and if he will instruct school attendance officers not to take action in such circumstances.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Attendance of Children over School Age.
26.
I am aware that parents who, without reasonable excuse, fail to cause their children to continue to attend school until the end of the quarter in which they reach the age of fourteen years are liable to prosecution under the School Attendance Act, 1926.
With regard to the second part of the Deputy's question, I am precluded from giving any such instruction to the Enforcing Authority named in the Act, i.e. the School Attendance Committees in County Borough and Borough areas and the Superintendent of the Garda Síochána in other areas.
In his statement the Minister said "without reasonable excuse". Surely if a girl has a job and is told she must go back to school for a month or so and, maybe, lose the job, that should be a reasonable excuse? If a girl or boy of 14 leaves school before the end of the term in order to take up a job, that should be considered a reasonable excuse.
The reasonable excuses are set out in the Act of 1926 and the case mentioned by the Deputy is not one of them.
If that is not a reasonable excuse, the Act ought to be amended.