A woman who failed to send her two sons to school has had her case adjourned to October for further school attendance and psychological reports.
Judge James McDonnell at Tallaght Court told the 31-year-old mother yesterday: "Your boys are showing behavioural problems at school. That has to stop."
The court had previously heard that during the 2005/2006 school year the older boy (12) had attended school 29 days out of 141 while the younger boy (9) had attended 42 days out of 141.
The woman had previously pleaded guilty to two summonses that on May 23rd 2006 she failed to comply with an order requiring her to secure the attendance of her two sons at national school contrary to section 25(4) of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000.
A solicitor for the National Education Welfare Board, Siobhán Hayes, provided educational psychological assessments for both boys. Referring to the older boy's report, Judge McDonnell severely criticised the board for its delay in bringing the case to court.
"If his failure to attend school had been acted upon when it started two years ago, we would have got to this stage when he was 10. Do I make myself clear? I will need to know what supports will be there for him when he starts school in September."
Ms Hayes said that the older boy would start school on August 29th and "all supports will then be in place". The younger boy would be continuing in national school.
Judge McDonnell asked Ms Hayes what educational psychological services were available in the younger boy's school. After consulting a board education and welfare officer, Ms Hayes said that if those services were needed in a school, the school principal could write a letter to the board seeking those services.