ANALYSIS:The expulsion of students from two Dublin schools raises awkward questions for the education system, writes SEAN FLYNN
ON FRIDAY night – as the report of the incidents at the High School, Rathgar, was breaking – I spoke to one of the parents whose son was facing expulsion. The mother in question had been taking calls all day from worried relatives and friends. Her son was upstairs, feeling contrite and not a little ashamed of his behaviour.
His six-year link with a school he loved had been broken by an impetuous act of stupidity and bad manners. He had been involved in organising a rave dance music event in the sixth-year common room. There were no drugs or drink at the rave.
When school staff opened the padlocked doors, he was also involved in what might charitably be called “exchanges” with senior figures at the school.
The teenager in question is one of three who have been expelled.
For the three, expulsion from their school is a hugely traumatic event in their lives. There is the short-term difficulty of finding an alternative centre for their Leaving exams, but there is also the longer-term impact. For years to come, they will be known as the kids who were expelled from their own school; it is a stain on their character and reputation.
Many parents and teachers will say they had it coming, arguing their behaviour warranted this kind of robust response. One teacher from another fee-paying school told me how his colleagues had had “more than enough of bad behaviour and insubordination. It’s about time we had some decisive action.”
However, it is clear that teachers, like the rest of society, have mixed views.
One experienced school principal recalls how in 30 years he has never – and would never – expel a pupil. “When a school moves to expel a pupil, it is the school community that has failed. It should never come to this . . . if there is a culture of mutual respect nurtured between teachers and pupils.”
At Oatlands College in Stillorgan, four students were expelled last week after posting abusive remarks about their teachers on Facebook. While the events which led to expulsion are different, the incidents at the High School and Oatlands raise awkward questions.
Are schools just like any other working environment where the normal rules should apply? Or are they special places – a learning environment in every sense – where allowances must be made for teenagers and young adults?
At Oatlands, the four were expelled after posting “vile” allegations of a sexual nature about three teachers. Derogatory remarks were also made about the workload of one female teacher.
The comments were posted on a Facebook page created by one pupil in March. Later, he allowed three fellow pupils to post material on the page.
For these pupils, this page was – like the common room at the High School – seen as a private domain where anything went.
Pupils at both schools could be accused of extreme naivety. Like other Facebook users, the four at Oatlands did not appreciate how they were publishing material which could be accessed by others.
Within 24 hours, over 40 fellow pupils had tagged the material as a “like” on Facebook. Before long, word spread to the teaching staff.
Similarly, students at the High School probably viewed the rave as a prank, an opportunity to tilt the balance of power in the school to the pupils for a few glorious hours – after years in which their teachers held sway.
None of this background is intended to in any way underplay the trauma and hurt experienced by any teacher in both these schools. No teacher should have to endure disparaging personalised remarks. No teacher should be compelled to stand in the classroom before students who have made vile sexual allegations against them.
But did the school authorities overreact in both cases?
For sixth-year students, that period when you have left school but have still to sit the Leaving exams is a very special time. There’s a sense this is the beginning of the rest of your life.
For schools, it is always a troubling period when students feel themselves to be off the leash. Inevitably, there are high jinks.
Over the weekend, there were reports of how one sixth-year boy at St Mary’s College, Rathmines, Dublin, was found tied to a tree in the grounds of Muckross Park school for girls in nearby Donnybrook.
To date, the authorities at St Mary’s have stopped short of expelling the students involved.
At the High School, there has been a much more draconian approach. While three have been expelled, the principal has also decided to essentially close down the entire sixth year. Pupils have been told not to return to the school without an appointment.
Parents have reacted with dismay and anger to this turn of events. They are entitled to wonder why their children were not cut some slack – like those up the road at St Mary’s?
Meanwhile, the parents of those expelled at both Oatlands and the High School are set to appeal the expulsion under section 29 of the Education Act.
At Oatlands, a series of separate section 29 appeals is scheduled for next month. This case will be watched closely – and not just in Ireland. The Oatlands incident has featured on BBC Europe and other channels.
It is very much a modern tale where school authority is wrestling with the problems created by social networking.
Clearly, the board of management at Oatlands responded in a way which they believe was proportionate and fair, but do schools need more help in this developing area? Is there a case for a Department of Education code of conduct on internet use and on the wider disciplinary issues raised?
Or should schools be left to their own devices?