Public meetings were held last night by both communities embroiled in the bitter dispute surrounding Holy Cross school in north Belfast after a loyalist pipe bomb detonated yards from Catholic children.
The local MP, Mr Nigel Dodds, yesterday repeated his call for "a cooling-off period", with parents using the Crumlin road entrance to the school and Protestant residents calling off their protest.
However, Father Aidan Troy, chairman of the board of governors, which also recommended parents temporarily use the rear entrance, yesterday admitted the option was "a non-runner" with parents.
He said a large number of people would continue to use the Ardoyne Road entrance in the loyalist area.
In a letter to parents, Father Troy asked them to exercise "best judgment" and consider security advice when deciding their route.
Four RUC officers and a police dog were injured when the pipe bomb was hurled at the security cordon protecting girls and parents on their way to school shortly after 9 a.m. Three men were arrested.
There were scenes of pandemonium among parents and children as rocks were thrown from Glenbryn Parade over a line of armoured vehicles and riot police.
As officers charged the loyalist youths responsible, the pipe bomb was thrown and the procession was forced to run the remaining distance to the school. The Red Hand Defenders claimed responsibility for the device.
The PUP Assembly member for North Belfast, Mr Billy Hutchinson, immediately condemned the attack. "The terror on those children's faces was unbelievable. I was sickened to the pit of my stomach.
"I feel that I just want to walk away from everything, even leave this country because its not worth fighting for any longer if this is the attitude of people," said Mr Hutchinson.
"As far as I'm concerned my recommendation to people will be forget the protest because no one is hearing what's going on now because of the bang of blast bombs," he added.
However, Mr Hutchinson later stressed residents wanted the protest to go on and he would continue to represent them. "We can't walk away from this, this thing needs to be finished in a structured way, not in an unstructured way. I have been part of it and I'm not leaving it until it is finished," he said.
Mr John White of the Ulster Democratic Party, which is linked to the UDA, the largest loyalist grouping in Glenbryn, condemned the attack. However, he also criticised the "heavy-handed" security operation.
He urged loyalists from other areas and known republicans to stay out of the area.
"It is vital dialogue is allowed to take place and that people let elected representatives take part in those discussions in a calm atmosphere," he said.
There was no major incident as parents collected their children and returned home via Ardoyne Road.
Around 100 residents held a largely silent protest. An RUC officer made extensive video recordings of the crowd, which included known loyalists.