A Facilitator has been appointed to solve the bitter religious dispute at the gaelscoil in Dunboyne, Co Meath.
Brother Luke Monahan of the Marino Institute has been asked to review the dispute, which centres on how the school's interdenominational ethos is implemented.
Brother Monahan and a team from Marino will be meeting the key groups in the next few weeks. He will be assisted by experts in consultation and facilitation. The team is hoping to talk to as many groups as possible attached to the school, Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg.
Mr David Meredith, formerly of the Church of Ireland board of education, will be part of the team. The initiative is being funded by the Department of Education.
The parents' association welcomed the decision, but other parents' groups said the ambit of the team was not wide enough. Mr Michael Dungan, spokesman for parents who have opposed the board of management's recent decisions, said: "It is not a form of facilitation as far as we are concerned. It is a process in which the outcome is predetermined."
Parents would still meet Brother Monahan, however, who is a widely respected figure in education circles, he said.
The dispute centres on whether Protestant children should leave the class when Catholic children are being prepared for sacraments, such as Communion. Catholic pupils are in the strong majority in the school.
The principal, Mr Tomas Ó Dúlaing, who is now suspended on full pay, suggested that points of doctrine which divided Catholics and Protestants should be handled outside school hours. However, the board said all religious instruction must take place within school hours, and sought to dismiss Mr Ó Dúlaing. An appeals process is underway.