Principals are warning that expulsion should always be a ‘last resort’ with new figures showing over 900 students were expelled in the last five years.
The figures show that 922 young people have been expelled from post-primary schools since September 2017.
Some 360 of these students have been expelled in the last three years – with 28 expelled from primary schools since September 2020.
On The Pat Kenny Show National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) chief Paul Crone said expulsion is always a last resort.
“These figures would back up that,” he said.
“That’s approximately 120 students a year – out of school population of 390,000, which is .0003%.
“So, schools do absolutely everything to try and prevent students from being expelled and being removed from the school.”
A stressed school pupil with his head in his hands sat at his desk // WH8BB3‘Expulsion protocol’
Mr Crone said when a school decides they have no other choice but to expel a student, they invite parents, the principal and the Board of Management to a meeting.
“The principal … presents the reasons and rationale – that parent is given an opportunity to respond and speak to the board,” he said.
“The Board of Management discuss and arrives at a decision.”
That results in a one-month wait, and the school must inform TUSLA Education Support Service.
“The [TUSLA] education welfare officer will convene a meeting between the school and the parents,” he said.
“After a month, if they can't come to a resolution, the expulsion is confirmed.
“[The parent] may decide to appeal under Section 29 of the Education Act to the Department of Education, and the Department of Education will put together the three-person independent appeal committee.
“They will review the decision that the board arrived at to see if the sanction is proportionate, fair and reasonable.”
‘Gross misbehaviour’
Mr Crone said schools begin to consider expulsion when a student engages in gross misbehaviour, such as selling drugs on school property, very serious assault against a student or teacher or serious vandalism or theft.
“It's also very rare that a student would be expelled in the first time that they do something,” he said.
“Everything is contextual – I know of one situation where [school arson] did happen, and there were other issues, and it was behaviours acting out.
“Through collaboration between the family the school, and external support agencies, the student wasn't expelled and was rehabilitated back into the school.
“There's a person at the centre of this and we need to remember that and understood that students are growing and developing and changing.
“I would reject that school’s willy-nilly, expel students … they have to go through a lot of procedures, so the rights of the students are very well protected in there.”
