INTO:Primary teachers are being routinely bullied and verbally abused by parents, the INTO conference heard yesterday.
It was also told that gay and lesbian teachers were being bullied both in the classroom and the staff room.
Nora Hamill (Dublin North East-INTO equality committee) said scores of teaching colleagues had reported cases of bullying to her in which they were subjected to foul and abusive language and threatened.
In her own school, where she is principal, one teacher had been consistently bullied by members of one extended family. The pattern of bullying passed from one family member to the next, she explained.
Parents had an absolute right to come into schools to discuss any issue with teachers, "but they do not have a right to bully and abuse teachers", she said.
Teachers wanted notices on schools warning parents that the Garda would be called if the bullying continued. Such notices were common in hospital accident and emergency areas.
Kieran Griffin (Bray-Wicklow) said he wanted instruction on sexual orientation to be included in the school RSE (Relationship and Sexuality Education) programme.
Gay and lesbian teachers were fearful of "coming out" for fear they would be discriminated against in schools. Teachers should be evaluated on the basis of their teaching only - not with regard to their sexual orientation.
He pointed to section 27 of the Equality Act which could allow schools to discriminate against gay and lesbian teachers in order to protect their ethos. Many teachers were fearful that this could be invoked by school boards.
He favoured a new approach where a gay lifestyle could be incorporated without any secrecy into regular school life. Why were partners not allowed to accompany gay teachers on school trips, he asked.
Ms Hamill said she was appalled by the manner in which the term "gay" was commonly used as a term of abuse by children in primary schools.
On bullying in the staff room, Claire Byrne (central executive) said teachers must ensure that the isolated nature of their work did not lead to unprofessional standards of behaviour in relationships with colleagues.
