A Perthshire head teacher was left badly hurt after she received an electric shock in front of pupils while using classroom equipment.
Principal Islean Gibson was zapped while using a smart board during a lesson at Kinloch Rannoch Primary.
The accident happened in the run-up to the Christmas holidays. Miss Gibson has been recovering at home since the incident.
An investigation has now been launched to establish what went wrong and to determine how safe the classroom equipment is.
The smart board, an interactive writing board at the front of the classroom, has been put out of action.
The Courier understands that on an earlier occasion, a child suffered a shock while touching the machine, which led to a rubber mat being placed on the floor in an attempt to prevent a repeat incident.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesman confirmed the teacher was injured while operating a laptop connected to the board. She is now preparing to return to class.
“The staff member left the class following the incident and was then treated by a GP,” the spokesman said. “Children continued with their learning, and were reassured about the safety of the member of staff.”
He added: “The equipment that was in use at the time has been decommissioned while an investigation is completed.
“Tests by our electrical compliance officers and Tayside Contracts suggest there is no fault with the equipment and the incident may have been caused by static electricity.
“However, a full independent investigation is now under way to ensure the equipment is safe for use and we await its results.”
Local Conservative councillor John Duff, who is also Vice Convener of the Lifelong Learning Committee, said: “I was very sorry to hear of this incident and that a member of staff at the school received an injury as a result.
“I am glad that the staff member has since been able to return to work and wish her well. A thorough investigation is underway to make sure that the equipment is safe to use.”
Fellow Highland ward councillor Mike Williamson (SNP) said he was “relieved” Miss Gibson was in the process of returning to work.
“I look forward to hearing the results of the investigation and hope that any similar incidents can be prevent,” he said.
The remote primary has a roll of just over 20 pupils.
Miss Gibson hit the headlines in 2019 for a successful teaching experiment, where dogs were introduced to classroom lessons.
The animals were brought in as part of Miss Gibson’s masters degree in leading, learning and teaching at Dundee University. The project focused on the impact of canine classmates on her pupils, and found that they achieved better grades and were generally happier.
