Violence in Schools

Last updated: Tue, Sep 19th, 2017 11:14:18 am

In Circular Letter M18/99, the Minister for Education and Science brought to the attention of school management authorities his concern about incidents of violence towards staff in second level schools. The attention of Boards of Management is drawn to this Circular, especially to the obligations of Boards in relation to the following issues:

• the duty of Boards of Management to provide a safe environment for employees and other persons present in the school

• measures to be taken to prevent or minimise the risk of assaults on teachers, Principals, Deputy Principals or other staff employed in schools

• measures to be taken in support of staff who have been assaulted or threatened with assault, and ensuring that appropriate action is taken to safeguard against a recurrence.

Provision has been made in DES CL 61/2017 for the establishment of a:

"Scheme for Leave of Absence following assault for registered teachers in recognised Primary and Post-Primary Schools"

Boards of Management are advised to develop a policy to deal with the possibility of violence in school. The policy should deal with such matters as preventative measures, complaints procedures and steps to be followed in the event of an assault or an alleged assault.