A SECONDARY school in Tramore, Co Waterford, yesterday expressed "deep regret" over any upset caused by the omission of a 17 year old pupil from a class presentation ceremony.
The mother of Lareina Connolly, who is seven months pregnant, had accused the Stella Maris school of discriminating against her daughter on Wednesday evening when she was not called up with her classmates to receive a certificate scroll.
Lareina, who is to sit her Leaving Certificate examination on June 11th, said that when she arrived at the school hall for the graduation Mass and presentation ceremony with other pupils and their parents, a teacher had remarked that she was not wearing her school uniform. She was told that she would not be called up to accept her scroll.
She said she had previously been given no indication that she would be left out, and she had not been asked if she was agreeable to a separate, private presentation of her scroll.
"For the past three or four months I haven't been wearing my school skirt, because it just won't fit me," said Lareina. "But I've been wearing the rest of my uniform. I was given permission to do that. None of the teachers had a problem with it."
In recent weeks, Lareina has been attending morning classes and studying at home in the afternoons. She claimed yesterday that she had been told in a casual encounter with a staff member earlier this week that she need not come back to school.
Her family received an invitation to attend the ceremony on Wednesday, during which some 60 pupils of the two final year classes were each to receive a certificate containing "a little poem that was supposed to help us in our journey through life".
The local radio station, WLR FM, received many calls expressing sympathy and support for the family after broadcasting an interview yesterday with her mother Angela, who said that up to now Lareina had received great support from the school and teachers.
"But I felt they let her down last night," she said. "She was just left sitting there. I felt so small, and I felt hurt for Lareina. She has won prizes for poetry and other things in the school, and I've been at all her parent teacher meetings . . . She's very upset, as were all her classmates. The night was ruined for them all."
A statement issued to WLR FM by the school principal, Sister Marie Therese, said that the school was very supportive of all its students, and especially of girls "who find themselves in sensitive situations".
"Lareina has been with us for six years," said the statement. "In all that time, and especially over the past few months, we have given her every support. I'm sure she would agree with that.
"It has been the school's policy to give her the choice as to whether she would like to attend classes, PE, visiting speakers, relationship and sexuality classes, etc. This choice was extended to the graduation Mass. Twenty minutes before the Mass began, we spoke to Lareina and it was agreed that she would receive her memento in the hall after the Mass.
"Lareina was in great form and chatted away informally. We had no indication that she was upset. Had we known that she had any reservations, she could most certainly have accepted her gift at the podium.
"We deeply regret any upset caused to Lareina and her family. Our top priority is, and remains, our concern for Lareina, and we hope her family realise the level of support that we have given her in the past, and we would like to assure them of our continued care."