All but two of the 34 students in Mountrath Vocational School, Co Laois, left the examination hall within half an hour of the distribution of yesterday morning's second Irish paper. This followed the deaths in a car crash of three young people, Aoife Carroll, Matthew Peters and Raymond Cuddy, at the weekend.
The Department of Education has been asked to reschedule, with contingency papers, yesterday's Irish Leaving Certificate examination for the students who could not be persuaded to return.
A spokesman for the Department said last night that it would consider all the options.
While it was initially considered unlikely that a rescheduling would be possible, it was explained that it depends on the decision of the Minister, Mr Martin.
The principal, Mr Tom Ryan, was trying to get the students to return to the school for this morning's French examination.
Two students critically injured in the crash, Jackie Cuddy and Lorraine Bowe, were due to sit the Leaving Certificate examination at the Brigidine Convent Secondary School and Heywood Community School, respectively.
Also injured in the crash was Fergal Hanlon.
The three were still in intensive care in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, yesterday.
There were nine people in the Nissan Sentra being driven towards Portlaoise early last Saturday when it collided with the back of a trailer going in the same direction.
The Department has assigned a senior psychologist to provide consultation, advice and counselling. In addition, Mr Eddie Kelly, the Department's inspector for Co Laois, has made himself available to students and teachers in the three affected schools.
Several hundred people attended the funeral of Aoife Carroll (17) yesterday afternoon at St Fergal's Church in the village of Camross, near Mountrath.