A woman has accused a male principal of sexually harassing her while she was a student teacher at a secondary school in the west of Ireland, a Teaching Council fitness-to-teach inquiry has heard.
The woman gave evidence at the hearing on Tuesday. The principal, who was not present, denies the allegations.
The disciplinary committee decided to move forward with the hearing as numerous attempts to contact the principal were made in recent months and he had “voluntarily absented himself”.
The principal is accused of using his professional position “to pursue a relationship with the student teacher of a sexual and/or inappropriate nature”, indicating he could help her career.
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The student teacher has accused the principal of several instances of inappropriate behaviour, including unwanted touching, in 2017.
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While giving her evidence, the teacher recounted one incident which allegedly occurred while she was supervising revision classes over the Easter break.
On or around April 20th 2017, the principal allegedly locked the school door after the students had left and insisted the teacher go to his office.
“I kept my keys in between my fingers, just in case he got any closer to me, I could use them against him,” the woman recalled.
The principal knew the teacher was due to go to Dublin the next day for an exam and allegedly told her it would be a “perfect opportunity to get to know each other better”.
The woman said the principal then suggested he could drive her to Dublin and they could stay in a hotel together.
“I knew then that it was a relationship of a sexual nature that he wanted to pursue with me.”
The woman claims the principal, who is older than her and has adult children, said he had helped other women’s careers and had “very important friends” in the sector.
The woman said, eventually, the principal unlocked the school door and let her leave. She said she considered going to the Gardaí to report what happened but ultimately did not.
The principal offered her a job a few months later but she turned it down. By this point, she had secured a job in another school. But, even if she hadn’t, she said “I was absolutely not going to go back there”.
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The woman lodged a complaint with the Teaching Council in 2022. She said she wishes she came forward sooner, but didn’t feel she was in a position to do so.
Via a written statement, the principal denied all the allegations against him. He said the teacher needed additional support and “he regrets that it has been taken in the wrong way”.
The hearing is due to continue on Wednesday.
