Catholic Church supports ethnic integration in our schools

A radical plan to end 'white flight' from urban schools throughout the country has been put forward by the Catholic education authorities.

The Catholic Primary School Management Association accused some parents of bypassing their local school because they do not want their children to be educated alongside ethnic minorities.

CPSMA Secretary Monsignor Dan O'Connor criticised the minority of schools that told parents whose first language was not English that schools elsewhere had language support services.

Equally, some schools were suggesting to parents of special needs children that they take them elsewhere, he said.

The proposal follows comments by Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, who in April publicly criticised "good Catholic parents" -- who made decisions with their feet or with their "four-wheel drives" to opt out of diversity in schools.

Dr Martin disclosed recently that he had received racist and quasi-racist mail after he announced a decision to reserve places in two Dublin schools for children of immigrants.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/church-bids-to-halt-white-flight-1429355.html