The row over Government?s decision to cut an entry level class at St. George?s Prep intensified yesterday.

Outraged parents and teachers held an emergency meeting on Friday night to shoot down claims by Education Minister Terry Lister.

Last week Mr. Lister suggested to parents that students who were not offered places at St. George?s Prep had been settled in other schools. He said of the 29 students that did not get into their first choice, 15 had been accepted at their second choice, four had opted for private education or home schooling and only ten students were left.

But the PTA executive body said it felt like it had been cheated out of the education process.

Parents are upset because they had filled in St. George?s Prep as their first choice only to be informed that they really did not have a choice in the matter of having their children educated there.

On Friday night the PTA refuted the Minister?s statements and those of Government backbencher Dean Foggo.

Mr. Foggo said he had spoken to Mr. Lister and was now urging parents affected by the decision to accept.

The PTA statement said: ?The families who accepted their second choice only did so once they received written confirmation from the Ministry (of Education) that accepting it would not jeopardise their first choice and it was only pending the results of the appeals process.

?If, as the Minister stated, any families have opted out of the public school system and into private school or home school ? we as a PTA are greatly concerned about the future of public education in Bermuda.

?These parents chose the public system and they have been driven away. If there are only ten affected families, why are there 26 signed appeals?

?We are very concerned about the future of our school and we are extremely disappointed that we have lost the support of Ministers Jennifer Smith and Foggo after their public pledge of support on our behalf.

?We are happy that East End Primary has a second Primary One class and we believe the demand for places more than warrants a two-stream Primary One at both east end schools.?

The PTA is taking the matter to court in a bid to have the decision overturned.

It is represented pro bono by lawyers Mark Pettingill and Richard Horseman.

Backbencher Foggo and Mr. Lister were not available for comment.