Hanafin: Disruptive students should be reported to gardaí

Students engaged in activities verging on criminal behaviour in the classroom should be reported to gardaí, the education minister said today.

As it emerged up to 10% of the secondary school population is engaged in disruptive behaviour, Mary Hanafin said students who cause trouble outside the classroom will not alter their behaviour when they enter school grounds.

“Anything which is bordering on creating damage or going to the extreme for a teacher or another student in the classroom should be reported,” Ms Hanafin said.

“If you have a group of students that are out at night or at the weekend sitting on walls, terrorising old people, throwing stones or being abusive they are not going to suddenly change their behaviour when sent to school on a Monday morning.”

Dr Maeve Martin, who chaired the Taskforce on Student Behaviour in second level schools, which delivered its interim report today, said of the five to ten per cent of the school population causing disruption only a small minority of these were engaged in extreme behaviour.

Some of the serious breaches of discipline reported to the Taskforce included threats to teachers, damage to their property, physical assault of peers, remarks of an overt sexual nature and the carrying of dangerous weapons onto school grounds.

Ms Hanafin said she did not believe in a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to tackling the behaviour.

“I think the whole nature of our education system is an inclusive one,” she said, stressing the importance of guidance counsellors and supports.

“Where a teacher or a school might think the easy answer is to expel a student that is not necessarily the right one.

“Each student is entitled to their rights to an education but that has to be balanced against the rights of every other student in the classroom as well.”

Ms Hanafin said 33 appeals had been lodged with the Department against permanent expulsion so far this year – with students winning seven appeals and secondary schools granted 18.

Dr Martin, who pointed out the majority of students across the 700-plus secondary schools were well-behaved, said persistent ’low level’ disruption, such as non-stop talking, making noises or constantly challenging teachers authority, had serious implications on teaching and learning.

The chairwoman said the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) had suggested to the Taskforce that behaviour which was once considered unacceptable was now looked upon as simply disruptive.

Ms Hanafin said: “If teachers are going to accept this incessant talking at the back of the class, the rummaging in the school bags, the mobile phones going off, this kind of thing as the norm, then obviously there are grades of what do you accept beyond that.”

Dr Martin said the Taskforce would be visiting units where seriously disruptive students are taught outside the mainstream schools before it issues its recommendations in the final report next December.

The chairwoman said there was now evidence from other countries including Britain that the mental health of students was more “brittle” than a decade ago.

Dr Martin said students now needed more care and there was an onus on schools not only to teach, but to provide guidance and supports.

Ms Hanafin said: “The pressures that are on young people in society are carrying through into the classroom.”