Second scandal in four years rocks CofI school
Discrimination against teacher because she is Catholic and her son is gay
A NATIONAL school is at the centre of a scandal for the second time in four years, after a tribunal hearing directed it to pay €3,000 to one of its teachers, this week.
Resource teacher Bernie Marron, 53, took the case against the board of management of St Paul’s, a Church of Ireland national school in Collooney, claiming she was discriminated against as she is Catholic and her son is gay.
But the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal that it is the second time the school has been directed to pay out after a principal misbehaved.
In October 2011, a nine-year-old pupil was awarded €7,500 to settle a bullying case over the actions of the then principal, Joyce Gillmor.
The boy was in fourth class when bullying by Ms Gillmor, who was also his teacher, became so bad that his parents were advised by doctors to transfer him to a different school.
The settlement hearing, at Sligo Circuit Court, was told that Ms Gillmor had bullied and humiliated pupils. On one occasion she ordered the boy, who started fourth class in September 2008, to stand up in front of the class and say he was stupid, the court heard.
It also heard that she tore up homework over simple mistakes and pulled children’s hair. There was very high tension in the classroom and pupils were being selected for embarrassment, the court also heard.
As a result of the bullying the boy became ‘dramatically depressed’, lost interest in his hobbies and his general mood began to change. He was finally removed from the school in February 2009.
The board of management of the school had been sued by the student’s parents in a personal injuries action.
Fresh controversy was revealed this week when the Equality Tribunal ruled that Ms Marron had been harassed on grounds of religion and discriminated because her son was gay. The decision came after Ms Marron had claimed the current principal, Jacqueline Higgins, made a series of critical comments in relation to her son, stating that ‘a normal’ boy would not spend the afternoon shopping for clothes. Ms Marron said the principal,
who had denied the allegations, also made a series of comments that were critical or discriminatory towards Catholics.
She said the principal criticised the behaviour of Catholics in church, commented on the negative effects of Catholics joining a local Church of Ireland secondary school and referred to Church of Ireland members as ‘our children’ and the ‘right people’.
She complained to the school in 2013, but felt the issues were not properly addressed by the board of management. The principal told the hearing that she denied making any statement about the complainant’s son shopping and claimed she had never discriminated against Ms Marron.
In its finding, the Equality Tribunal found as fact that the principal made the derogatory comments attributed to her by Ms Marron.
The tribunal, chaired by solicitor Kevin Baneham, found the principal’s use of the words ‘us’ and ‘our’ in relation to children and adults of different religions amounted to harassment.
Comments on the sexual orientation of Ms Marron’s son and her parenting undermined her dignity at work and amounted to discrimination by association.
Ms Marron told the tribunal she was looking for an acknowledgment that what had happened to her was wrong and sought no financial compensation.
The tribunal, however, ordered the school to award her €3,000 on the basis that the case would attract significant damages in the ordinary course of events.
Ms Marron said: ‘I was upset over the remarks. Nobody should be subjected to remarks about their parenting skills, and nobody should be questioned over their son’s right to be themselves.’
Court heard teacher pulled children’s hair ‘Normal’ boy doesn’t shop all afternoon