Cops hold parent for busting teacher’s face

WESTERN BUREAU:

The parent who attacked a teacher at Dumfries Primary School in St James last Thursday is now in police custody but has not yet been charged.

The attack on the teacher resulted in her being hospitalised for two days with injuries to her face.

According to reports, the parent stormed into the school requesting to speak to the principal because he was not pleased that his child’s homework was not marked by her class teacher.

An argument developed with the teacher, Aneisha McFarlane, who was allegedly struck several times, resulting in bruises and cuts to her face.

Principal Joan William-Montague, who was not on the compound at the time of the incident, condemned the abuse of the teacher but also expressed surprise that the attack was carried out by someone who was held in high esteem by the school.

“Last Wednesday, one of my teachers could not make it to classes, so the grade five teacher, who was attacked, had to fill in and substituted with an overpacked classroom,” the principal told The Gleaner yesterday.

“It would have been impossible for her to mark all the students’ books that afternoon.”

Montague told The Gleaner that the accused participates in parent-teacher association activities and that his daughter is a well-behaved and brilliant child.

“We condemn any act of violence against our teachers, as they also function as parents, nurses, and counsellors to the children on a day-to-day basis. They deserve maximum respect,” said Montague.

She said that Dumfries Primary would enforcing a strict policy governing schoolyard access to parents and issue tough rules outlawing misconduct. Citing teachers as “bedrock of our society”, the principal said she would take a zero-tolerance approach.

“We will not tolerate these monstrous attacks that are taking place on our teachers,” said Montague.

The attack on McFarlane came in the same week when a group of men, including a parent, injured the dean of discipline, security guard, and a student at Cornwall College. This is at least the fifth attack on teachers in St James by irate parents since last November.

McFarlane has since been released from hospital and is now recuperating at home.