A Co. Roscommon primary school teacher dismissed from her job on the grounds of professional incompetence has lost her claim for unfair dismissal. The Workplace Relations Commission found that Ruth Lydon was not unfairly dismissed by the Board of Management of St. Ciaran's National School in Fuerty. Ruth Lydon worked as a Special Education Teacher and was dismissed from her role by the school Board of Management in September 2021. St. Ciaran's National School is a 60-pupil three teacher school and Ms Lydon started teaching at the school in 2002. In her evidence, school principal, Rosita Murphy told the WRC that in October 2017, Ms Lydon had stopped communicating with the other staff and children's parents. Ms Murphy said that in a small school in a local community, the situation became untenable with parents making complaints about discipline in Ms Lydon's class. Ms Murphy also said that in November 2017 there was ongoing evidence that Ms Lydon was unable to discipline or manage her classrooms.
Peadar O'Muiri was appointed by the Department of Education Chief Inspector to attend the school to assess Ms Lydon's professional competence as part of an external review in the Circular Process. Mr O'Muiri made three inspection visits and found that Ms Lydon was not performing at an acceptable level of professional competence in her role. WRC Adjudicator, Emile Daly made her ruling after 10 hearing days held over a two and a half year period from October 17th 2022 to May 12th of this year.
In her findings, Ms. Daly stated that given Mr O'Muiri's findings, it's hard to see how the Board of Management had any option other than to respond in the most serious way - which was to proceed to disciplinary action. Ms Daly stated that if there is anything the Board of Management could be criticised for, it's for allowing the process to go on as long as it did. The WRC hearing heard that Ms Lydon has obtained other teaching work since her dismissal. Ms Lydon said that she considers the whole Circular process was prejudged by Ms Murphy and the Board of Management and that she didn't really stand a chance of remaining in her post from the point that it was started.
