Speaking at the Alliance Party’s annual conference, the MLA for Strangford said she would be resubmitting her proposal for a private member’s bill, challenging the audience to assess what their long term vision for integrated education was.
She said: “I believe the Department of Education and others have become fixated on structures and buildings instead of the educational wellbeing of our children.
“Yet in order to progress, we don’t need to prioritise integrated education over any other form of education. That’s why if the Assembly gets up and running again I intend to resubmit my bill, seeking to expand and reform the current legislation framework.
“The bill is about strengthening the current provision, so every parent who wishes to send their child to an integrated school is able to do so and will contain a number of clauses setting out how they can be best achieved.
“As a parent of a child who attended integrated schools I know first-hand just how much integrated education has enriched my family’s lives.
“We all need to continue the legacy of the founding mothers and fathers and make sure integrated education is future proofed for generations to come.”