Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 April 2026
381. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has sought a formal security assessment from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration regarding the risk posed to children by groups gathering at a school (details supplied) or near the school gates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29442/26]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Education Act, 1998, the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school on behalf of the school patron and has responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of its staff and pupils.
The board of management has responsibility for taking all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of school personnel and pupils and to put appropriate safeguards in place to ensure as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of its staff and of its students while they are attending the school or while participating in school activities. The Department has been in contact with the school and will continue to follow up on the matter.
Where there is a concern or potential threat to the safety of the public, the responsibility for dealing with such a situation rests primarily with An Garda Síochána in accordance with its duty to protect the community, to undertake criminal investigations and to bring offenders to justice. An Garda Síochána play a vital role in communities across the country in helping to keep us all safe, including children attending schools.
