Courts / Dublin / Report

SNA claims she was forced out of school following objections to Palestinian scarf

Date
2026-06-04

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

A special needs assistant has claimed she was forced out of her job at a south Dublin school due to mistreatment from parents who objected to her wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf. Sarah O'Mahony alleges that management failed to protect her from mistreatment by parents who objected to her clothing. She brought complaints under the Unfair Dismissals Act and the Employment Equality Act, relying on the protected ground of nationality and race based on her association with people of Palestinian ethnicity. Her lawyer argued that the school put pressure on her to stop wearing the scarf and that this led to her taking a leave of absence and ultimately resigning. The school is contesting the case, and the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has given the parties four weeks to submit legal submissions. O'Mahony's solicitor initially wanted both complaints to remain live but later withdrew the Unfair Dismissals case. The WRC administrators extinguished the equality claim, but O'Mahony's solicitor filed a new equality complaint out of caution. The case is ongoing, and the WRC will require written submissions before proceeding further.