Teacher bullying case back in court [IrishTimes]
- Published: 12 January 2010
A High Court judge has warned an internal appeal into a retired teacher’s claims of bullying by her school principal must proceed by the end of this month or else her High Court action for damages will resume.
The case by Bridget Sweeney (54), who worked as a resource and home-schooling teacher at Ballinteer Community School in Dublin, was adjourned last May after Mr Justice Daniel Herbert directed an internal inquiry into the bullying accusations should first be set up by the school board of management.
In her court action, Ms Sweeney, Beaver Row, Donnybrook, Dublin, claimed she had to retire from her €70,000 a year post on a €32,000 per annum pension because of alleged harassment. She also claimed the principal, Dr Austin Corcorcan, hired a private investigator to follow her.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Greg McInerney discusses ‘Conflict in Education’ [educationmatters.ie]
- Published: 12 January 2010
As we enter the second decade of the new millennium, we are no nearer to resolving the numerous conflicts that occur continuously in our schools.
Indeed, as the young become more and more immersed in all things technological, interpersonal conflicts through mobile or web chat pages have created the phenomenon of the cyber bully. School managers and teacher unions(1) have admitted that young persons have not acquired the ability to resolve conflict themselves. Wilmot & Hocker(2) refers to this as “ineffective resolution of interpersonal disputes” and warns that this can be associated with depression and hopelessness.
Full Story: www.educationmatters.ie
Opposition hits out at schools shutdown u-turn [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 11 January 2010
Many of the country’s 4,000 primary and secondary schools were making plans to reopen tomorrow after forecast snow did not fall and an unexpected thaw slowly took hold.
Fine Gael’s education spokesman Brian Hayes claimed the minister had been forced into an embarrassing climbdown.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
School re-opening fiasco shows a government in flap over snow [labour.ie]
- Published: 11 January 2010
The embarrassing u-turn by Batt O'Keeffe who today reversed his decision requiring schools to close until Thursday, is typical of the abject incompetence that the government has shown in handling the current adverse weather.
It seems that in the rush to be seen to do something, and in the absence of any better ideas, this was the best they could come up with!
The Ministers action last week ordering school closures was daft and nonsensical. It's not clear precisely what authority if any, Minister Batt O'Keeffe had to close the schools in the first place, but we do know that he didn't bother his barney to consult with any of the school management bodies in advance of his announcement.
Full Story: www.labour.ie
Major uncertainty over school transport thanks to Batt's flip-flop [labour.ie]
- Published: 11 January 2010
There is major uncertainty over the prospect of any school in rural Ireland reopening this week despite the fact that Batt O'Keeffe today reversed his decision requiring schools to close until Thursday.
There is a concern among schools that in the absence of a specific instruction to Bus Eireann from the Minister to operate the school-bus system, that there will be no transport in place.
In that instance, there will be absolute chaos at local level, and I am calling on Minister O'Keeffe to clarify the situation as a matter of urgency.
Full Story: www.labour.ie
