A High Court judge has warned an internal appeal into a retired teacher’s claims of bullying by her school principal must proceed by the end of this month or else her High Court action for damages will resume.
The case by Bridget Sweeney (54), who worked as a resource and home-schooling teacher at Ballinteer Community School in Dublin, was adjourned last May after Mr Justice Daniel Herbert directed an internal inquiry into the bullying accusations should first be set up by the school board of management.
Counsel for the board said while there had been disagreement between the parties over the composition of the appeals forum and over the procedures, the board was in a position to expedite the hearing by the appeals forum. Mr Justice Herbert said he was extremely concerned at the delay. He could not allow the matter to “drag on indefinitely”.