Written Answers. - School Discipline.
David Stanton
Question:
152
Mr. Stanton
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the number of primary and post-primary school pupils, respectively, who have been expelled or suspended indefinitely since September 2000; the number of such cases which are known to his Department; the action he will take to help these pupils; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22691/01]
The Education Act, 1998, provides that each school board of management must publish the policy of the school concerning admission to and participation in the school, including the policy of the school relating to the suspension or expulsion of students.
Each board of management is responsible for formulating, in consultation with parents, a fair and efficient code of behaviour. This code should ensure that the individuality of each child is accommodated, while acknowledging the right of each child to education in a relatively disruption free environment. This code should include provision for dealing with serious breaches of discipline and continuously disruptive pupils.
My Department has issued guidelines to boards of management to assist them in discharging their obligations in the area of school discipline. These guidelines were drawn up following consultation with representatives of management, teachers and parents, and are sufficiently flexible to allow each school authority to adapt them to suit the particular needs of the school. These guidelines lay considerable stress on the use of expulsion only as a last resort.
Under the rules for national schools, no pupil can be struck off the rolls for breaches of discipline without the prior consent of the patron and unless alternative arrangements are made for the enrolment of the pupil at another suitable school.
As the issue of suspension and expulsion from school is a matter for each school authority, my Department has no information on the numbers of pupils who may have been expelled or suspended indefinitely since September, 2000.
The Education Act has also made provision for new appeal procedures, which provide for appeal to the Secretary General of my Department, in order to address grievances at school level, including suspension for more than 20 school days in any school year, or expulsion. These procedures will bring a greater transparency to decisions by schools in relation to long-term suspensions or expulsion and also promote fair procedures at school level. In particular, the right to appeal to a national appeals committee in relation to such decisions by schools will bring a better balance to the rights and obligations of all concerned.
I have also brought forward a comprehensive range of legislative measures in the Education (Welfare) Act to address generally issues related to school attendance and discipline in schools. The legislation provides for the establishment of a national educational welfare board with responsibility for monitoring school attendance on a countrywide basis. The board will employ educational welfare officers, who will be deployed locally to assist all recognised primary and second level schools.
The Education (Welfare) Act provides that where a student is either suspended for a period longer than six days, or misses more than a cumulative total of 15 days in a school year, or displays what the school principal considers to be irregular attendance patterns, the principal shall inform the local educational welfare officer.
The Act also requires schools to report to their educational welfare officer before expelling any student. In such instances, the role of the educational welfare officer will be to bring together the relevant parties to try and identify a mutually agreeable solution to provide for the education of the student concerned.
My Department gives assistance to parents where children are suspended indefinitely or expelled from schools. In cases when its assistance is sought, my Department endeavours, through a process of consultation with the schools and through the inspectorate, to secure a suitable school placement.
