School forced to shut online class after men access it and act lewdly

A Leinster secondary school was forced to shut down a video class after a number of men gained access to the class and acted in an inappropriate and lewd manner.

The entry by people who were not members of the class or the school community occurred after they obtained a link needed to join the Microsoft Teams-hosted class on January 13th.

The men could be seen by the second-year students from the co-educational school. Teachers immediately shut down the class. An Garda Síochána and Tusla were alerted by the school's patrons, the Louth Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB).

The 13- and 14-year-old students are being supported by the school and steps had been taken to ensure there was no repeat of the incident, the LMETB said, in reply to queries.

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“The behaviour of these individuals was such that the teacher terminated the class. The school took immediate action to respond to this incident,” the statement added.

Precaution

“As a precaution the school also suspended the use of online classes pending a review of the circumstances by our ICT team. The parents and guardians of all second-year students were informed.”

The Department of Education was also notified, as were all other schools under the patronage of the education and training board, the body told The Irish Times.

Extra digital settings have now been introduced: “LMETB is disappointed that the entire school community’s efforts to support remote learning during this time of national crisis should be undermined by such mindless behaviour.

“However, we remain determined to play our part in the fight against Covid by continuing to provide remote-learning opportunities and by supporting our school communities,” the board said.