Parents concerned after reports of abuse allegations against principal of north Dublin special school
Parents of children attending a north Dublin special school have expressed concern after reports of abuse allegations against the school's principal were "founded" by Tusla.John Condon, principal of Belmayne Community Special School, was accused of abusing a student at a school he worked at in Wexford between 2001 and 2003, the Mail on Sunday reported over the weekend. The paper reported that a series of allegations made by the former student were "founded" by Tusla, including that the teacher forced the then teenager and another student to sit back-to-back in the dark in their underwear as punishment.Mr Condon is now principal of Belmayne Community Special School in Dublin 13, which opened in December 2025. Following the Mail on Sunday report over the weekend, parents of children attending the school have expressed concern and raised questions regarding practices at the school.Speaking to Dublin Live, one parent told us their son, who is non-verbal, was suspended multiple times to "reflect" on his behaviour. The parent said they were also told that their child's place at the school was at risk."It was next to impossible to get him a place," the parent told Dublin Live. "We were tearing our hearts out last year trying to get him a place. We eventually got the school place."The parent said their child was on a reduced timetable, was suspended and had their school place threatened as their behaviour was "not controllable". When asked about the report about Mr Condon, the parent said "I was a bit taken aback and a bit shocked". They added: "You put your trust in these people.""You hope and think that hopefully they'll be great help for him. You know there'll be bad days and good days but you'll get through it. Suspending him is not the answer or threatening his placement."If he was expelled our hands are tied. It's next to impossible to get a place in a special school. It was literally next to impossible."Another parent at the school told us: "I was devastated because this had happened to somebody else. Then from my own dealings with the school then, I felt a little bit of vindication because there had been stuff going on in the school with my own child."The parent said their child was placed on a reduced timetable following behavioural incidents at the school. She said these incidents seemed out of character for her child, and they encountered difficulty when requesting incident reports from the school so she could deal with them properly."At a minimum, I would be thinking they should be able to deescalate a child even with the most severe needs and they should be trained to deescalate a child when they become dysregulated like that. But it seems like there isn't."Dublin Live is not aware of any current active Tusla investigations into the school. The school's patron is the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB).When asked by Dublin Live about the reports regarding Mr Condon, and about the alleged suspension of students from the school, a spokesperson for the DDLETB told us: "DDLETB is aware of a matter appearing in the media relating to Belmayne Community Special School. We are following appropriate policies and procedures and will ensure supports are in place for the school community."Dublin Live has contacted Mr Condon for comment.Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Dublin Live as a preferred source, simply click here.Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .
