Gardaí have begun an investigation into an alleged assault at a Dublin school in which a teacher received significant injuries following an altercation with a teenage student.
Teacher Chris Gavin suffered a broken nose, two chipped teeth and damage to his eyes during the incident which took place last Friday afternoon at Deansrath Community College in Clondalkin, Co Dublin.
It is understood the incident occurred when the student entered the classroom in which Mr Gavin was teaching and took a photo with a camera phone. An altercation ensued in the school corridor after Mr Gavin asked for the phone, leading him to sustain his injuries.
Mr Gavin has not returned to school since the incident, which required him to be treated in hospital, while the student has been suspended.
The school principal, Maria Shannon, could not say yesterday how long the student would be suspended for, and said it was an "internal school matter". Co Dublin VEC, which oversees the school, also declined to comment on the incident yesterday.
However, a spokesman for the Garda Press Office confirmed it is investigating an alleged assault at the school. It remained unclear yesterday whether officers intended to interview Mr Gavin and the student involved, as well as other students who may have witnessed the incident. Officers have been in contact with Ms Shannon in recent days.
The incident has prompted teacher representatives to warn there is a lack of clarity about when teachers can use physical force in schools. Such intervention could include blocking a pupil's path, getting between two pupils, or shepherding them away from an incident.
Declan Glynn, assistant general secretary of the Teachers' Union of Ireland, said "nobody knows" what will happen to teachers who intervene in a dispute. But they could face legal action, he said.
"There should be periodic risk-assessments of pupil behaviour within a school, so that a student who has shown a propensity towards abusive or violent behaviour is identified, and would be risk-assessed," he said.
Teachers should also be provided with training to cover areas such as how to de-escalate a situation and to avoid a confrontation.
He said teachers should be permitted to physically intervene if this is absolutely necessary, and once the nature of the intervention is appropriate.