Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Education Act, 1998 all schools are managed by the school board of management on behalf of the school patrons or trustees or Education and Training Boards (ETBs).

Section 9 of the Education Act requires that schools must ensure that parents of a students, or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student, have access to the records kept by that school relating to the progress of that student in his or her education.

The Department does not have the power to instruct schools to follow a particular course of direction with regard to individual complaint cases. The Department's role is to clarify for parents and students how their grievances and complaints against schools can be progressed.

A school may have a formal complaints process, in which case this should be followed in pursuing any complaint. Where a person is of the view that a school has failed to investigate or adequately investigate their complaint, it is open to them to raise the matter directly with the Chairperson of the Board of Management by correspondence marked “Private and Confidential”.