Home Schooled Children Enjoy Day On The Doss After Mother Is Arrested

THE CHILDREN at the centre of a home schooling controversy were said to have enjoyed a day of dossing after their mother was arrested by Gardaí at their Tullow, Co. Carlow home yesterday morning.

Monica O’Connor was brought into custody after refusing to pay fines pertaining to their decision to educate two of their children at home, incurred after they refused to acquiesce to continuous assessment by a state official. Ms. O’Connor was brought to Mountjoy Prison before been granted temporary release at 1PM, during which time Oran (14) and Elva (11) began a day of doing absolutely sod all.

“Of course it was devastating for the kids to see their mother arrested,” said a close family friend, who wished to remain nameless. “But after a while they realised that this meant they had no teacher for the day and they could play and watch telly and do whatever they wanted, and being kids they took full advantage of this”.

With ever increasing classroom sizes and fewer resources for already over-stretched teachers, many parents have opted to go down the perfectly legal route of home schooling their children. Should they choose this option, they are legally obligated to allow routine assessment by the HSE’s Child and Family Agency (known as Tulsa). Having refused to allow assessment, Monica O’Connor and her husband Eddie O’Neill fell afoul of Carlow district council, which lead to yesterday’s arrest and a pretty sweet day of watching Nickelodeon and having crisps for dinner.

Ms. O’Connor’s husband Eddie O’Neill now faces up to ten days in jail under the same charge, during which the kids are hoping to build a Treehouse or something.