Vol. 568 No. 1
175 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to reported comments made by the President of the TUI at the organisation's recent conference that the breakdown in discipline was placing teachers under immense pressure; the steps he intends to take to deal with the deteriorating disciplinary situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15747/03]
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 suspensions and expulsions only as a last resort. 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.
The report on discipline, commissioned by my Department and completed by Dr. Maeve Martin, deals comprehensively with the issue of discipline in schools, and sets out models of best practice in this area. A copy of the report has been made available to all schools.
