Phased return to classes

Students and teachers of Frederick Smith Secondary will head back to school on Tuesday with beefed up security following the November 8 killing of 16-year-old Temario Holder on the Trents, St James compound.

Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw, announced this afternoon that second to fourth form students would return to the school tomorrow Tuesday for counselling sessions, and first and fifth form students who met with counsellors today and last Friday, were expected to return on Wednesday.

“The handheld searches will start. We have increased the security at the premises, the police as well would have committed to us that they will continue to do the walk through both in the morning during the lunchtime period and in the afternoons as well.

Santia Bradshaw

“So we have their full cooperation in terms of being able to work with the team of persons that is at the plant, and also the additional security that we have also engaged,” she said.

Parents however have mixed views about the return to school. They believe it was time students returned to school, while others said this week may be a little too soon.

Others welcomed the presence of law enforcement officers, but some believe there was no need for such a strict measure.

Heather Scott was one parent who indicated that the school should remain closed for at least a few more days to accommodate traumatised students who were still shaken by the November 8 incident.

“I feel they should give them a little more time home because it will take a little toll on the children who saw the incident and are traumatised. They need time to get some more counselling,” Scott said.

Meanwhile, Carlos Harding said he agreed with the plans to increase security measures at the institution. The father said it was a scary experience hearing about the incident and not knowing if it was his son.

“All I heard was like there was an incident at the school and a boy get stabbed. Straight off, my son came into my mind. So I like what I hearing right now to be honest. I just have to see how it will play out now going forward,” Harding said.

Parent Kathy-Ann Haynes indicated that parents should be blamed for their children’s deviant behaviour and urged her fellow parents to find the time to effectively and efficiently raise the country’s future.

Haynes said she was pleased with only some of the plans to beef up security at the institution.

“I don’t feel that any soldiers should be coming at no school because they are still children, them ain’t prisoners.

Speaking to the media following the meeting and counselling session for the first form students and their parents, at New Dimension Ministries on Barbarees Hill, St Michael, the education minister said several parents spoke about challenges they were having dealing with their children, and also raised concerns about their charges being bullied and not having adequate redress.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb