55 teachers put on admin leave while under investigation by schools

Primary school teachers were more likely to be placed on administrative leave with 38 such cases in the period between 2015 and 2020.

FIFTY-FIVE teachers have been placed on administrative leave over the past six years in cases where their school had placed them under investigation.

Primary school teachers were more likely to be placed on administrative leave with 38 such cases in the period between 2015 and 2020.

There were another 17 cases involving post-primary teachers, according to records released by the Department of Education.

Teachers can only be placed on administrative leave where their continued presence in school has the potential to present an “ongoing risk”.

The Department of Education did not provide a breakdown of how many of the cases related to abuse allegations, or other issues.

However, they said such temporary leave arrangements were used in scenarios where there were concerns over child protection, fraud, or serious misconduct.

The department said it was not a formal sanction and could only be granted in limited situations where an investigation was required.

They said they did not collect information on the specific reasons why teachers were placed on administrative leave.

Termination

The department also said school authorities were not obliged to provide reasons as to why a teacher’s contract was terminated.

That meant they had no figures on how many teachers were dismissed from their post due to child protection concerns, misconduct, or fraud.

A yearly breakdown reveals that six teachers — three at primary level and three at post-primary — were placed on administrative leave last year.

That was a sharp drop compared to the 11 cases reported in 2019. The figures also record seven cases in 2018, 12 cases in 2017, 13 in 2016, and 6 in 2015.

A Department spokesperson said: “A teacher/SNA on administrative leave shall be treated as being in employment with the exception of carrying out certain duties and, as such, entitlements and obligations as per the contract of employment remain in force.” The spokesperson said it was in “everyone’s interests” that investigations involving teachers on administrative leave were conducted as expeditiously as possible.

“There should be no undue delays,” they said.

“It is expected that the person who is on administrative leave will co-operate with the process at all times. If a teacher/SNA on administrative leave fails to co-operate or attend a meeting/hearing for any reason e.g. illness, this should be noted and the Department informed immediately.”