A SECONDARY school teacher has told the High Court that Co Offaly Vocational Education Committee (VEC) did nothing when she made complaints about being bullied and sexually harassed by a male teacher.
The principal of Tullamore College also failed to address her complaints, Mary O’Toole said.
Ms O’Toole, who teaches history, geography and English, claims she was leered at, inappropriately touched and intimidated by teacher Jim Mooney at Tullamore College on occasions between 1996 and 2000. She claims the VEC did nothing about her complaints and she transferred to another school in 2001.
In proceedings against Co Offaly VEC, Ms O’Toole (48), a mother of one, Whitehall Estate, Tullamore, alleges the VEC was negligent and in breach of its duty of care towards her while she was its employee, and had caused her to suffer personal injuries and distress. She also claims the VEC failed to provide her with a safe place of work and recklessly inflicted emotional suffering and nervous stress on her.
The VEC has denied the claims.
In evidence yesterday, Ms O’Toole said she had, out of frustration with Mr Mooney’s behaviour in autumn 1998, damaged his car by cutting a tyre and breaking the aerial. After that incident, she attended a meeting in November 1998 with chief executive officer of the VEC Dermot O’Neill and Tullamore College principal Edward McEvoy to discuss the damage.
Ms O’Toole, who the court heard is on medication for ailments including stomach complaints and depression, said she had neither admitted nor denied the damage to the car but later admitted the damage to gardaí.
She had also wished to discuss at that meeting in November 1998 an incident involving Mr Mooney in May 1998 after she and other teachers went to Mr Mooney’s house after having a few drinks in a pub but Mr O’Neill and Mr McEvoy did not wish to discuss that matter, she said.
Referring to the time in the house, she said she went there to sort out past difficulties with Mr Mooney. While there, she said, she was sitting on the ground reading a magazine when Mr Mooney, who had put one of the other teachers to bed, came into the room and sat down on a chair beside her.
She said she asked him could they be on friendly terms but he replied they could not be friends without sex. She said she told him she could not have sex with him after which he had exposed himself and she immediately left the house. She said she was humiliated and upset afterwards and told her husband about the incident but, as Mr Mooney was “very, very drunk”, she was willing to excuse him.
She also said, in one of a series of meetings in November 1998 arising out of the damage to the car, Mr O’Neill told her her allegations against Mr Mooney were outside the area of responsibility of the VEC. She said she was asked to write letters of apology to Mr Mooney, the VEC and to request a transfer to another school.
She had refused to write the letter to Mr Mooney. While she initially requested a transfer away from Tullamore she had, after discussions with her union, the TUI, later withdrawn that letter.
She said her relationship with Mr O’Neill and Mr McEvoy deteriorated and she felt they did not care about her and had taken Mr Mooney’s side. As she was afraid her job was on the line because of the damage to the car, she agreed to withdraw her complaints against Mr Mooney.