Teacher turns to court for protection after threat made on life

The Barbados Union of Teachers has advised at least two  teachers to take out restraining orders against parents who have threatened to harm them. One of the teachers, the union confirmed, has taken the drastic step.

Following several reports of teachers being threatened by parents, President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell said the serious nature of the threats forced the union to give the advice to the two members, one each from a primary and secondary school, to apply for temporary court orders as a precautionary measure.

Barbados TODAY understands that a parent visited the school where one of the teachers was assigned and threatened to kill that teacher.

“Let it be clear, the BUT has zero tolerance regarding violence of any kind and will not hesitate to act in the best interest of the teaching and learning process. Our members’ lives matter. Teachers face deviance from students and parents, which is quite worrying.

“The BUT condemns all acts of violence at our schools and we want our schools to be safe environments for students and teachers. To truly reshape education, we need to prioritise our people and find solutions to the above-mentioned problems,” Lovell said, while addressing the opening of the BUT’s 49th Annual General Conference at the Radisson Aquatica Resort on Monday.

And while threats of violence to teachers by parents is creating a headache for educators, Lovell indicated that security at some schools remain a challenge, with close to 40 per cent of the plants being without security guards or adequate security.

He said members at Frederick Smith Secondary School, in St James in particular, are crying out for increased security, especially during the morning period.

“The absence of security personnel or adequate security can be a challenge and may expose school occupants to intrusion or acts of violence. We are therefore calling for all schools to be assigned adequate personnel.

“We are also recommending that safety audits be conducted at all public schools in Barbados and that any security gaps found be immediately rectified,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lovell called on the Ministry of Education to urgently hire additional psychologists to help deal with the increasing incidences of violence in schools. He said that while educators continue to grapple with indisciplined students, the present complement of psychologists in the state-owned schools is woefully inadequate.

Noting that students need to be taught how to employ effective anger and conflict resolution strategies, Lovell said there must be a greater effort to provide psychological support to at-risk students and their parents.

He said schools should be equipped with additional guidance counsellors, support services and safety officers.

Lovell further suggested that methods being used to resolve problems with deviant students must change. He proposed that problematic students be placed in the state’s care to assist with and resolve their bad behaviour.

He said it is important to remove disruptive students from institutions to stop the school environment from becoming toxic.

The BUT president said that since a May 18, 2019 meeting led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre to discuss violence in schools, problems highlighted during that session, may have worsened.

He said BUT is therefore calling for the full implementation of the items promised for greater dialogue with all stakeholders in education regarding deviance among school children.

Lovell also took the opportunity to point out that some schools are suffering from what he referred to as “Sick School Syndrome (SSS)” as some buildings continue to be plagued by structural issues, mould, mildew, continuous environmental issues, inadequate lighting, poor ventilation, insufficient and unsuitable bathroom facilities and slippery corridors.

Lovell also pointed out that teachers at almost every school in Barbados are still in need of suitable chairs and desks to assist with the effective delivery of education.

Indicating that several teachers fell ill over the past year prompting the resolution of several environmental issues and concerns at various institutions, Lovell declared that the slow pace of school repairs needed to stop.

He said the Ministry of Education’s reassurances to get schools completed for the beginning of school terms have amounted to nothing, and noted that the BUT will not tolerate teachers occupying school plants during the planning week while construction work is ongoing as happened last year at several institutions.

“We want the Ministry of Education to get it right the first time and believe that contractors should be made to submit a chart outlining the expected progress of work to be done while factoring in additional days for unavoidable circumstances such as severe weather. We are also calling for contracts to be issued as soon as school closes for the summer period.

“I have been told by several ministry officials that the release of money for school repairs poses a problem annually. We cannot expect school occupants to suffer due to the inefficiencies of a few. School repairs are necessary and should be timely,” he said, stressing that he often wondered what would happen if every school in Barbados had to pass a building inspection annually.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb