Drugs debate: Virtually every second-level pupil knows where to secure illegal drugs and there are even cases of teenagers selling them to fellow students, a senior ASTI figure said yesterday.
Mr Pat Cahill, the next president of ASTI, said teachers were now coming to terms with the "new realities" of life in the classroom which included widespread binge drinking and drug abuse. He said it was now common for many students to spend the weekend in the "Temple Bar culture" and then not attend school on Monday. Pupils as young as 12 know where to get the drugs they want, he said. "The problem is right across secondary schools from first to sixth year. Those who want it will know the name of the local drug supplier."
Mr Cahill said society was leaving these problems with teachers to sort out but there was often little sign of parents taking responsibility or teachers getting the support they needed.
Yesterday's conference was dominated by debate on the apparent breakdown of discipline in many schools. Many delegates pointed out that this was a problem which reached across all social classes. One delegate stressed that it was not uncommon for middle class students who were "virtually financially independent" to create mayhem in the classroom.
A Dublin delegate, Ms Phil Roberts, said that teachers were now in the business of crowd control.
The debate highlighted a litany of shocking incidents in schools and the poor level of support from school management and parents. These included:
A case where one fifth year student who was peddling drugs could not be expelled from a school because of flaws in the school's own policy. Mr Larry McGuiness said the pupil in question had been removed from the school but had to be taken back. "What sort of signal does this send," he asked.
A case where one student systemically bullied four teachers over a one year period. Mr Noel Buckley (ASTI National Organiser) said the teachers in question were hugely stressed by the incident.
Cases where female teachers are routinely subjected to sexual innuendo of a very cruel nature.
In response to the growing crisis, the conference unanimously backed a motion calling for the establishment of a special sub-committee on the problem.
