A Balquhidder family have called on the council to reinstate a vital taxi service which allows their daughter to attend school in Stirling.
Thirteen year old Michaela Lee was set to begin S2 at St Modan’s in the city as schools returned on Wednesday but has been left “devastated” after an 11th hour message from council officials confirmed that she would be forced to rely on a series of lifts and buses to get to school.
Parents Maura and Mike say that the cancellation of the taxi journey - which the family have been making use of for the 30 mile journey since their older son transferred to the school in spring 2019 - means that Michaela now faces a mammoth 12 hour school day.
Previously, the family claim the 32 mile taxi journey would have meant a school day lasting around eight hours.
An ongoing complaint involving the taxi operator currently being investigated by the council has meant that Michaela hasn’t attended school on a regular basis since Easter this year.
The couple have been juggling running their own outdoor equipment business with offering lifts as and when possible, but feel they will be left with no choice but to move Michaela to a local school if a solution to the travel impasse isn’t found.
Maura said: “We first heard of the situation with the taxis two weeks ago from the council and so I raised concerns and asked them to get back to us as soon as possible but the next we heard was at 5.50pm on Monday night when we got the definitive no.
“Michaela was all packed and ready to go back to school and be back with her friends, but she’s ended up in bed all day on the Monday and didn’t really want to speak to anyone.
“I do not believe it arduous to travel 30 miles to our nearest denominational school.
“However making the school run so complicated and drawn out that a school day becomes 12 hours and restricts a child from all other activities through their entire formative years is a ridiculous way of hiding a budget cut by the lack of consideration of a 13 year old girl.”
“I would just like the council to recognise the issues and give Michaela some support because effectively they are not giving her a service to St Modan’s.”
The family have praised the support available at the Stirling school for Michaela - who has dyslexia and dyscalculia - but say their efforts at compromise by offering to send her to another school have also been ignored.
“Her friend rang her on Monday asking why she wasn’t in and she said she didn’t know if she would be able to come back to school”, Maura added.
“She likes the teachers and it’s a very caring school with a great support for learning department and if she ends up having to go a local school then that will be devastating because it’s not the right school for her.
“The other alternative is for us to close the business during the school run but that will have an impact as well.”
In response, a Stirling Council spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on this individual situation.”
