A female secondary school teacher involved in a long-term relationship with a former student, which began during the summer of his Leaving Certificate exams, has been struck off the teaching register.
She has also been prohibited from applying to have her name restored to the Register of Teachers for at least five years, reports RTE.
The decision by a Teaching Council inquiry panel followed four findings of professional misconduct against the now 33-yr-old teacher concerning her contact and relationship with the then 18-yr-old student from her former school eight years ago.
The student is now 25 and the teacher is now 33.
The three-member panel also found that her conduct breached the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers, reports RTE.
The sanction followed a fitness-to-teach inquiry that took place over six days between June 2025 and January 2026.
Neither the teacher, who did not attend for the ruling, nor the school involved can be publicly identified, reports RTE.
Earlier this year, the teacher — now serving as an assistant principal in another school — admitted she had deliberately misled the inquiry by giving sworn evidence claiming she had no further contact with the student after a “one-off” sexual encounter in a hotel in August 2018.
She said the false account of the relationship had “snowballed out of control”, reports RTE.
However, she denied allegations that she had “groomed” the student, whom she taught during fifth and sixth year, through Snapchat.
Two allegations concerned the pair exchanging at least one photo or video daily on Snapchat between 14 June 2018 and 14 August 2018, while the student was still completing his Leaving Certificate exams and awaiting results, reports RTE.
She also rejected a separate allegation that she had engaged in “a romantic relationship” with the teenager during that summer.
The continuing nature of the relationship came to the attention of the Teaching Council through one of her teaching colleagues, who had seen media reports relating to her evidence at the inquiry last year, reports RTE.
The colleague supplied the council with photographs and images from the teacher’s Instagram account showing the couple together between 2022 and 2025, including during a holiday in Greece.
The inquiry originally stemmed from a complaint by the school principal, who became aware of the affair through the teacher’s former partner, reports RTE.
Announcing the sanction, inquiry chairperson Fergal McCarthy said the findings were “incompatible with the important role a teacher plays in the life of a student”.
Mr McCarthy said the teacher had failed to act in the student’s best interests around the time of his Leaving Certificate and afterwards, while also failing to demonstrate proper judgement or foster a positive professional relationship, reports RTE.
He said her conduct “lacked integrity, respect and mutual trust” at a time when the student was 18 years old and still developing “physically, emotionally and psychologically”.
Mr McCarthy also noted that the teacher was approximately 10 years older than the student and had taught him during the previous two years, reports RTE.
While the sanction was based solely on the inquiry findings, he said the dishonesty shown by both the teacher and the student during their evidence was an aggravating factor.
Mr McCarthy said the teacher had conspired with the former student to provide false evidence and conceal their relationship, including unfollowing him on Instagram the day before the inquiry commenced last July, reports RTE.
He acknowledged that the teacher later admitted they had been in a relationship and said the former student was a significant part of her life and someone she loved.
Mr McCarthy also said the couple’s deliberate dishonesty caused the inquiry considerable time and expense and demonstrated that the teacher lacked insight into the seriousness of her conduct, reports RTE.
He said it further reflected “a lack of candour and integrity”.
Mr McCarthy explained that the panel had considered banning the teacher from reapplying for registration restoration for at least seven years, but reduced the period by two years in recognition of her previously unblemished teaching career and the fact that the relationship began after the student’s Leaving Certificate, reports RTE.
However, he said the sanction was necessary to protect the public from the possibility of repeated behaviour, which he said “could not be discounted”.
Mr McCarthy added that the sanction would underline to other teachers the seriousness of the case and help preserve the integrity and reputation of the teaching profession, reports RTE.
He described the outcome as “proportionate and appropriate” while still leaving open the possibility for the teacher to return to teaching in the future.
Earlier submissions on sanction by counsel for the Teaching Council, Eoghan O’Sullivan BL, stressed the importance of teachers recognising the boundaries where relationships with students become inappropriate and unprofessional, reports RTE.
Teachers, he said, must be trusted not to abuse positions of power, authority and influence.
He added: “Unfortunately in this case, that line was crossed”, reports RTE.
Mr O’Sullivan said the findings against the teacher were “at the upper end of seriousness”.
He argued that the only mitigating factor was the passage of time since 2018, which he noted had been partly caused by a legal challenge initiated by the teacher, reports RTE.
Mr O’Sullivan also said the original position adopted by the teacher during the inquiry was “built on a pack of lies”.
Even after being confronted with evidence, he claimed the teacher continued to dispute being in a relationship with the student in 2018 beyond admitting to a single sexual encounter, reports RTE.
He further argued that she had effectively suggested her former partner had fabricated evidence given to the inquiry.
However, solicitor for the teacher, Eoin McGlinchey, said there was no evidence of an inappropriate relationship while the student remained in school, reports RTE.
Mr McGlinchey noted that the student was 18 at the time of the sexual encounter and was considered a fully responsible adult rather than someone vulnerable.
He also said the situation differed from other teacher-student cases because the couple had remained in “a loving and committed relationship” between consenting adults for more than six years, reports RTE.
Mr McGlinchey accepted that the pair had misled the inquiry, but while not excusing it, he argued their efforts to conceal the relationship were understandable.
He also pointed out that his client had not faced any complaints before or after the allegations concerning events eight years ago, reports RTE.
The sanction removing the teacher from the register will not come into effect until it receives formal confirmation from the High Court, reports RTE.
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