‘Principal must change ways or go’
Mother of expelled St James High student yet to hear from board chairman about principal
Published:Saturday | April 27, 2024 | 12:09 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
“WHAT I need is either for him to stop doing what he’s doing or they remove him from the school, because he can’t just be kicking students out of school.”
That was the militant stance of Alicia R., the mother of one of the two teenage girls who were reportedly expelled from St James High School in January this year after being seen in a two-second WhatsApp video kissing each other.
Her comment was in reference to St James High’s principal, Joseph Williams, who she and the other teen’s relatives had previously accused of being heavy-handed in dismissing them from the institution on January 16. The issue was first brought to light in The Sunday Gleaner last weekend, months after the alleged incident.
Speaking with The Gleaner on Friday, Alicia R. – whose 16-year-old daughter has since been enrolled at a private school – said she has yet to hear from St James High’s board chairman, Christopher McCurdy, regarding the outcome of a board meeting which was held on Thursday to discuss the matter.
“To be honest, it is either they are going to remove Mr Williams from the school or he has to change his ways. But he cannot be acting like how he is acting, because he is behaving as if the school is his,” Alicia R. declared.
“I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I think she [daughter] is better off where she is at. Any way you take it, she has to repeat grade 10, and, with all that is happening now, I don’t think that school is the best environment for her. She loves St James High. So, with her being kicked out, it normally makes her sad, and that is the truth. But she is happy that she is in school now,” the mother added.
She was speaking hours after McCurdy provided a brief update to The Gleaner as to the outcome of Thursday’s meeting, which is said to have taken place online.
“We had a meeting, as was disclosed to the press, a meeting to refer the matter to the personnel committee, and that was done yesterday [Thursday]. If a matter is referred to the personnel committee, it is referred to the personnel committee for an investigation, and it is after an investigation and a report to the full board that a decision can be taken. It should be in a matter of days,” said McCurdy.
In the meantime, the mother of the other girl, who is 15 years old and has not been enrolled in another school since the incident, declined to provide further comment on the issue.
It is also understood that efforts have been made by advocacy group Jamaicans for Justice [JFJ] to contact the families of both girls. JFJ has been vocal in its criticism of St James High’s management and the Ministry of Education for what has been described as a sluggish response to the parents’ appeals for help in rectifying the matter.
St James High School began in 1961 as Montego Bay Senior School, under the leadership of its first principal, Bingham Parkin. It became Montego Bay Junior Secondary School in 1966 and introduced its shift system in 1973.
The institution became a comprehensive high school in 1998, and two years later, it received high-school status and was accordingly renamed St James High School. Williams was appointed as the school’s principal in 2004.