Vol. 451 No. 1
39 Mr. L. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Education, in view of recent reported cases of bullying, the proposals, if any, she has for consultation with the teachers' unions to facilitate a more effective approach to this problem in our schools. [6227/95]
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department issued "Guidelines on Countering Bullying Behaviour in Primary and Post Primary Schools" in September, 1993.
The guidelines advocate the creation of a whole school response to bullying. Boards of Management are encouraged to involve staff, pupils and parents in the development of a school behaviour policy. The guidelines also suggest that schools regularly monitor the effectiveness of school policy on this issue. This would of course require the involvement of teachers at school level.
It is my intention to now review the position centrally as the guidelines have been available for almost two years. As part of the review I will be inviting the views of parents, management and teacher represenatives.
