QUIET: Independent Wexford TD Mick Wallace said he will not comment on his son's expulsion as an appeal is under way

A well-known south Dublin secondary school has expelled Independent TD Mick Wallace's son along with three other students for posting allegations about one of their teachers on the social networking site, Facebook, the Sunday Independent has learned.

It was confirmed last night that four pupils at Oatlands College, Stillorgan, Co Dublin, had been expelled on foot of "obscene and absolutely untrue claims in relation to members of the school's teaching staff" posted on the site.

The untrue allegations have since been removed. It is not known whether the offending page was created on a school computer or outside, but all relevant matters are to become subject to the ongoing school investigation into the issue.

The issue of social networking sites is causing concern among school authorities all over the country and will be raised at teacher conferences later this week.

In the case of Oatlands College the offending page was said to be "highly inappropriate, offensive and damaging".

"It was very much back of the toilet door stuff," a source connected to the respected Christian Brothers school said, referring to the material posted online.

Oatlands management took what a source described as "swift action" to have the page removed.

"Obviously, the page and the comments being made on it went through the student body like wildfire," the source said.

Asked if the students' expulsion was final, another source at the school said: "They have been expelled, but there is a 'cooling off period' of 20 school days during which they are entitled to appeal the decision. They are required to appeal the decision if they want to be eligible for home schooling. Under the Education Act, students who have been expelled from one school are also obliged to appeal that decision before they seek admission to another school."

Unsurprisingly, the teacher subjected to the online abuse is said to have been "deeply upset".

The parents of the four pupils have already met with school authorities over the affair and were informed of the investigation process.

The school, which is among the best known in south Dublin, is taking the matter "extremely seriously" and has now written to the parents of all pupils attending the school to highlight concerns over the inappropriate use of social media websites.

Oatlands College is one of south county Dublin's best known non-fee paying schools with over 500 pupils.

It has a strong academic pedigree with many of its students going on to nearby University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin.

It also has a strong sporting heritage, winning countless Dublin and Leinster titles in soccer, gaelic football and hurling.

In its recent evaluation by the Department of Education, the school was praised for its "professional management, commitment to its mission statement" as well as affording its students a "real voice."

Former Fianna Fail minister Eamon O Cuiv, former Bank of Ireland boss Brian Goggin, the late Father Ted star Dermot Morgan, and Dublin footballers Paul Griffin and Ross O'Carroll are all past pupils of the school.

Commenting on this, a source at the school said: "This kind of thing is bad enough when students mutter amongst themselves in the school corridor. It's a very different and potentially far more serious matter when it's posted on the internet. Whatever about the immediate hurt it causes for the victim, it can have serious consequences personally and professionally if it's allowed to go unchecked."

A spokesman for the teachers' union the ASTI said: "Any type of bullying cannot be tolerated. Cyber bullying is just a modern day form of bullying. Whether it's student against student, or student against teacher, it's very serious.

"There needs to be a whole look at electronic media and how quickly things go viral, and very often, badly wrong. Facebook pages can be removed, but in a lot of cases, the material stays on the web permanently. There have been some terrible cases of online abuse. One only has to think of the case of Phoebe Prince in America. Online abuse played a part in that.

"As this becomes more commonplace, it will become more of an issue. People are entitled to freedom of expression, but there is a responsibility that comes with that.

"Across the board, there needs to be an examination of the use of online media.".

Sunday Independent