Single mum makes a desperate plea for help as a wealthy private school takes her to court over ‘unpaid fees’ after her marriage broke down
- St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace is pursing single mum over ‘unpaid fees’
- School claims single mum Sarah Connolly owes $17,942 in fees and legal costs
- Ms Connolly has resorted to crowd-funding to help her pay the remaining bill
Mother Sarah Connolly (pictured) has resorted to crowdfunding after her son’s private school prepared to take her to court over allegedly unpaid school fees
A single mum-of-four has resorted to crowdfunding after her son’s private school prepared to take her to court over allegedly unpaid school fees.
Sarah Connolly is set to face Brisbane Magistrate’s Court on November 6 after allegedly failing to pay fees to St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace.
The school is taking legal action over unpaid school fees and legal costs totalling $17,942.
Ms Connolly’s eldest son attended the school but graduated in 2018.
She says her marriage broke down and the school were aware of her difficult family situation.
The school had also offered a final concession in late 2018, which reduced the allegedly unpaid fees to $12,500 but this offer was withdrawn, The Courier-Mail reported.
In a show of goodwill, the school provided Ms Connolly with a 50 per cent reduction to standard tuition in 2017 and 2018.
Fees for St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace are more than $14,000 a year.
Ms Connolly has launched a GoFundMe page to cover allegedly unpaid fees.
‘I maintained an honest and open relationship with my son’s high school and have paid school fees in excess of $40K to the school,’ she wrote.
‘I sat in the car and cried for about half an hour….why as the school doing this to me? I was the honest person, I paid the fees.
‘I am already solely covering all of the kids health care, sports and technology costs as well as day to day living expenses.’
Ms Connolly (pictured with two of her children) has been ordered to pay $17,942 in allegedly unpaid school fees and legal costs related to her eldest son who graduated in 2018
Ms Connolly say she had contacted the school’s lawyer to negotiate a fortnightly payment plan and waited for a verdict for a month but heard nothing.
It was then that she stopped making payments to the school.
Ms Connolly is worried the court case will impact her credit rating as well as her children and their future education.
‘It’s very sad and I feel for my beautiful kind children as they are the innocent ones, they didn’t ask for this,’ she said
Over $2,500 has been raised of the $25,000 goal since the GoFundMe page was posted nearly a week ago.
Her eldest son is in his first year at university, studying landscape architecture.
‘He loved his time at the school, loved his mates and I truly believe it has played a part in shaping him,’ she said.
Ms Connolly has one daughter in high school and two sons in primary school.
Ms Connolly is worried the court case will impact her credit rating as well as her children and their future education
Principal Michael Carroll told the publication the school had resorted to legal action after they ‘exhausted all avenues’.
He said taking on legal action when it comes to unpaid school fees was ‘very, very rare’.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace for further comment.