Undertaking given in case involving school principal

The board of management of Colaiste Muire, Ennis, Co Clare, has undertaken before the High Court not to continue with a disciplinary procedure against the school principal, Ms Mary Bradshaw. The undertaking applies for two weeks, after which proceedings by Ms Bradshaw against the board are again due before the court.

On June 24th Ms Bradshaw, of Westfields, Limerick Road, Ennis, obtained an interim injunction restraining the board of management from continuing with a disciplinary procedure against her.

When the case returned to court yesterday Mr Frank Callanan SC, for Ms Bradshaw, said that correspondence was being exchanged between the two sides. Mr Roddy Horan, for the board, said his side was seeking time and was prepared to give an undertaking in the same terms as the injunction. Mr Justice Smyth substituted the undertaking for the injunction and returned the case to July 15th.

In an affidavit to the earlier hearing, Ms Bradshaw had said that she had agreed with the board in August 2000 to take leave so as to avail of treatment for her alcohol dependency. In March 2001 she was certified by her medical advisers as fit to return to work, but the board had refused to date to permit her to return.

In April 2001 the board, for the first time, had made allegations of financial mismanagement against her. She had attempted to deal with those allegations. In November 2001 an investigating committee had been appointed by the board in accordance with agreed disciplinary procedures.

Ms Bradshaw attended before that committee, but she discovered that it had been furnished with documents by, and had had discussions with, the board, of which she was unaware. She withdrew from the committee. Her solicitors wrote to the board's solicitors in order to clarify matters so that she could return before the committee.

On April 29th last she received a report from the committee which had been completed in her absence and on which she had had no opportunity to comment. The conclusions of the report were highly damaging to her and compromised the disciplinary process which had been put in train, she said. The next stage of the disciplinary process would, she believed, involve her dismissal.

While she had freely admitted having had an alcohol problem, she wished to make it clear that at no time did she ever partake of alcohol during school hours or in the course of her school duties, Ms Bradshaw added. She had never missed work because of her consumption of alcohol.