Security guard now at Hilda Skeene Primary

A day after a security breach disrupted school at Hilda Skeene Primary, a security guard has been assigned to the St Philip school.

On Wednesday, police were called to intervene in an incident that involved a male parent threatening a teacher, and the school was closed early.

When a Barbados TODAY team visited the school on Thursday, a guard was on the compound.

When contacted, President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell said he was satisfied that a security guard was finally stationed at the school, adding that it was unfortunate that it took a security breach for that to happen.

This incident came just days after a stabbing at the Alexandra School on Monday despite the Ministry of Education announcing exactly a week prior, at the beginning of the new academic year, that it was introducing tightened security measures at the nation’s public schools.

Meanwhile, Barbados TODAY understands that, on Thursday, the guard who had been assigned to the Blackman and Gollop Primary School was directed to man the compound at Hilda Skeene, which left the Staple Grove, Christ Church educational institution without any security.

A number of upset parents reached out to Barbados TODAY to vent their frustrations about the move. However, later in the afternoon, the guard returned to Blackman and Gollop Primary and a different one was sent to Hilda Skeene Primary. 

On Wednesday, the BUT indicated that 20 out of 68 public primary schools were without a dedicated security presence. It said it had sent a list of schools without guards to the Ministry of Education. (SZB)