Leaving Cert students won’t be able to sue their teachers over predicted grades.
And any canvassing of teachers will be banned with those offering gifts to staff reported to the Department of Education.
Unions last night gave the news a guarded welcome with ASTI saying it couldn’t recommend it to members yet.
A spokesman said: “Unfortunately, and upon legal advice, the indemnity that has been offered to teachers thus far falls short of what is required and could potentially lead to personal liabilities for costs for second level teachers.
“This position is unacceptable.”
The Government held a special meeting last night where they agreed to cover the teachers against the protests of disgruntled students or their parents.
The Cabinet signed-off on indemnifying the country’s teaching force against any legal action arising out of this year’s exam cancellations.
It was part of Eduction Minister Joe McHugh’s memo to his colleagues where he outlined how the new predicted grades scheme will work this year.
He said: “The indemnity that has been provided today and agreed by Cabinet incorporeally will be enough to ensure that they [teachers] will be protected.”
It was announced earlier this month that the Leaving Cert as we know it with its traditional schedule of written exams at the start of June was being scrapped this year.
The Government bowed to the inevitable after first postponing the exams to the end of July.
But as it became increasingly obvious that the social distancing required to sit exams would be impossible to implement, Mr McHugh made the call to cancel the Leaving Cert.
It has been replaced with a “calculated grades” system that sees teachers give their professional assessment of how well their students have performed. The Department of Education has now issued guidelines on how all this will work.
Last night Mr McHugh said: “The guide is the result of intensive work and engagement by the Department, teachers and school management in recent days.
“It is designed to give teachers and principals clear and precise guidance on how to provide the Department with an estimated mark and a class ranking for each Leaving Certificate student.
“At all times we have put fairness and the interests of the students at the heart of our decision making.
“The guidance is very clear and strict on the issue of canvassing of teachers and principals.
“Canvassing would be unfair to students and to staff in a school, and it will not be tolerated in any circumstances.”
As part of the new calculated grades system, Leaving Cert students will have access to an online portal from early next week where they must confirm if they were sitting higher or lower levels – and they have the option to change.
Among the information outlined in the guidance document is:
Advice on the range of information that teachers should use to inform the school's judgments about estimated marks and
Guidance on how teachers can work together to ensure alignment of marks across students and classes in school.
Students can appeal their results and have the chance to sit the Leaving Cert later this year when it’s considered safe.
If they choose predicted grades and want to sit the exam too, they can pick their best results.
