Vol. 513 No. 6
124 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Education and Science if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 225 of 1 December 1999 in regard to the recent report on the high number of school suspensions, he will give the issue of school discipline and procedures urgent attention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3076/00]
I am very much aware of the issues of suspension from school and early school leaving which are in turn related to the problem of school discipline.
The Education Act made provision for new appeal procedures in order to address grievances at school level and my Department is working on the implementation of these at present. The full implementation of the Act will bring a greater transparency to decisions by schools in relation to disciplinary matters generally and promote fair procedures at school level. In particular, the right to appeal to a national appeals committee in regard to decisions to expel, suspend or refuse admittance will bring a better balance to the rights and obligations of all concerned.
The Education (Welfare) Bill 1999 which is currently before the House will, when enacted, require schools for the first time to prepare codes of behaviour which specify the types of behaviour requiring disciplinary measures, the nature of these measures and the procedures to be followed by school authorities. The code is to be prepared in accordance with guidelines which may be issued by a new national authority to be established under the provisions of the Bill. The purpose of the guidelines will be to provide guidance to schools in relation to the discharge of their duties regarding the drawing up of a suitable code of behaviour for the school. The guidelines will only be issued after consultations with parents, school management, teachers and other interests and would supersede and amend existing guidelines in this area where appropriate. I expect this legislation to be enacted shortly and implementation to commence shortly thereafter.
The new national authority will also have responsibility for co-ordinating action in relation to school attendance on a nationwide basis. The focus of the authority will be the provision of assistance and support, through locally based educational welfare officers, to schools and families rather than on penalties for non-attendance at school. The Bill also includes specific measures for the early identification and support of children at risk of dropping out of the school system.
Legislative solutions are not in themselves enough and it is vitally important that we also have in place strategies to encourage and support schools in retaining pupils to completion of senior cycle. The Government's recent stay in school initiative is designed to focus resources on schools where the problem of drop out is most acute. At the core of this new strategy is the empowerment of schools to participate in framing plans for addressing this problem.
