School liable for student harassment

A just-published recommendation from the State's Equality Officer has held a school in the south-east responsible for sexual harassment of teachers by pupils and imposed a total of £19,000 in fines. The female teachers involved complained of discrimination and victimisation in the way in which their allegations were dealt with by the school authorities.

The Equality Officer held that schools were liable for the action of pupils who sexually harassed teachers and said that the school in question had taken "satisfactory steps" to deal with the complaints of sexual harassment. He found, however, that the school had victimised the teachers concerned by making known their identities - contrary to equality legislation.