Parents of pupils whose all-Irish unit was scrapped plan to continue a week-long protest at the school gates if the classes are not reinstated.
Seven pupils who were due to begin first year at Athlone Community College last Monday have been protesting with their parents after refusing to attend alternative classes in English.
Westmeath Vocational Education Committee (VEC) is to review its decision to drop the all-Irish classes on Monday. But parents claim the matter would not have come to a head if the VEC had acted sooner to resolve long-running difficulties.
The dispute arose after the VEC voted last June not to take any first-year students into the Aonad Lan Ghaeilge, the allIrish unit in the college, because of a shortage of staff and classrooms.
Parents lobbied against the decision and the Department of Education informed the VEC on August 21st that it could have additional staff. A further communication on August 31st sanctioned the renting of rooms outside the school to accommodate pupils until the school could be extended.
On that basis, the seven new pupils turned up last Monday for classes with their Irish text books but after two hours they were sent home.
Parents' spokeswoman, Mrs Maire Ni Chraith, said the children were devastated. "Their school has been taken from them. They have come through an all-Irish primary school and they want to continue their education through their chosen language."
VEC chief executive, Mr Gearoid O Bradaigh, said the Department's offers came too late and it was not acceptable to have pupils housed in a hotel room or some other non-educational facility.
"I will be advising the members on Monday night that if they get some sort of very firm commitment from the Department to fast-track accommodation on the school campus, they could reconsider their decision."
The parents, however, say they would be happy for external accommodation to be used. A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said the offers of extra staff and accommodation were still on the table and it was the Minister's wish that the first years be provided with all-Irish classes.