Tipp school under investigation as pupils given confidential report to colour

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A Tipperary school is being investigated after it handed out pages from a confidential report for pupils to colour.

The incident came to light after some of the senior infant pupils took the pages home, where parts of the report were seen by parents.

 

The report was compiled by teachers at a Tipperary school on a young boy who has significant educational and emotional needs and has a special needs assistant in the school.

It is understood that the report was then printed off and mixed up with blank pages which were then handed out to senior infants to colour.

Some of those pupils then took the pages home. One older sibling read the text and realised its significance before alerting his parents, who in turn contacted the school.

The information contained on the pages discussed personal information about the boy and also included his name and date and birth.

The school and the Department of Education are now investigating how the report was given out to pupils.

The incident represents a breach of personal data guidelines and the Department has warned all schools to remember that they are responsible for the safeguarding of information for both children and staff and must carefully follow the guidance of the Data Protection Commissioner.