Parents and secondary teachers, locked in serious conflict last week at the ASTI conference in Galway, last night agreed to move on and leave aside their differences.
The National Parents' Council (post-primary) who claimed to have been intimidated at the event said parents and teachers needed to work together for the sake of students and the education system generally.
The group said they were happy to meet the ASTI in the near future to discuss issues of mutual interest. Speaking to The Irish Times, its president, Ms Marie Danaswamy, said while the events at the Galway conference were "very traumatic", parents had to rise above them and work with teachers on a 50:50 basis.
She said Mr Pat O'Herlihy, the group's public relations officer, who was allegedly struck by a teacher during the conference, also wanted to move on.
The deputy general secretary of the ASTI, Mr John Whyte, said it was in nobody's interest for parents and teachers to be at odds.
"We need to move on from the slagging match and work on the serious issues that confront everybody in education," he said.
The ASTI campaign had been a "bitter dispute" and tempers had been raised on all sides. "But while that is understandable, schools are communities of parents and teachers and they both have to work together." He said the ASTI was willing to talk and meet anyone, including the National Parents' Council (post-primary).
Meanwhile, secondary schools are facing major disruption to their sporting and extracurricular activities, if the revised Labour Court proposals are rejected by the ASTI.
The union yesterday began balloting its 17,000 members on the proposals, and if they are rejected the union will move to withdraw from all "non-contracted" work in schools, including sports, debates, quizzes, drama, music and tours.
Yesterday the general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, said another ballot on the withdrawal might be needed because it constituted a form of industrial action.