School Buses

We have all received letters from Bus Eireann regarding school buses for the new school year starting in September 2011. The application forms for the bus tickets were due in on March 31st.

 

You may or may not be aware after reading the letter from Bus Eireann that a lot of the pupils in Scoil Mhuire will not be eligible for the €50 ticket per child as they live closer than 2 miles to the school. If these children want to take the bus to school it will cost €200 per child (a family maximum of €650).

 

In Campile the cut off point for the 2 miles is the post office, i.e if you live in the housing estates in Campile which are all less than 2 miles to the school it will cost you €200 per child to send them to school on the bus.

 

The reason why these students have been entitled to a free school bus previously is under something that Bus Eireann call “Central/Closed School Rule” (CSR)

 

This meant that where a number of schools closed and amalgamated into one new school, free transport has been provided for eligible student residing not less than 1mile from the new central school.

 

This refers back to 1979 when Aclare NS, Ballykelly NS, Horeswood NS and Killesk NS amalgamated to Scoil Mhuire.

 

From the start of the 2011/2012 school year the distance criteria will be applied nationally and pupils that are currently availing of free school transport under the CSR scheme and who live less than 2 mile from their school will not be eligible for school transport.

 

The Parents Association will write to local TD´s and members of the committee are also attending a meeting in Rathangan School about this issue. We will post any updates on this website.

 

If you are affected by these new rules we encourage you to personally contact your local TD with your concerns by email or post. Also feel free to email the Parents Association on scoilmhuirepa@gmail.com with your concerns, as it will be easier to deal with this issue if parents actually tell us what they think about it!

 

If you are unsure whether you qualify for the school bus for €50.00 or not please clock the shortest route from your house to the school, if its under 2 miles you will have to pay €200 in order to avail of the school bus.