JTA president wants security beefed up following Black River High assault
Published:Thursday | March 7, 2024 | 12:10 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
FOLLOWING TUESDAY’S latest act of school-centred violence at Black River High School in St Elizabeth in which a group of men allegedly flung stones while storming the institution, Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Leighton Johnson wants stricter security measures to ensure students’ and teachers’ safety.
Speaking with The Gleaner on Wednesday, Johnson asserted that security cameras and perimeter fencing need to be implemented in schools to reduce the risk of violent on-campus incidents, which continue to take a toll on the mental well-being of both educators and their students.
“The JTA continues to express concerns about the nature and levels of the violent confrontations that take place amongst our students on our school compounds. We have seen the negative psychological impact that these confrontations have had on other students, on our teachers, and even on our parents. These confrontations not only disrupt the activities of a school day, but they also disrupt the harmony of teaching and learning within our schools,” said Johnson.
“We continue to ask for the necessary mechanisms to be implemented in our schools to improve the safety and security of all stakeholders. Security cameras need to be implemented, and school resource officers need to be deployed to schools that have a higher propensity of violent flare-ups. Perimeter fencing needs to be erected for schools that need this infrastructural upgrade, and there needs to be the expansion of the deans of discipline framework to all our schools,” Johnson added.
On Tuesday, men reportedly entered the compound of the Black River High School while flinging stones, prompting teachers and students to run for cover.
FIGHT ON PEACE DAY
The incident reportedly stemmed from a fight between two male students earlier in the day, with one of the boys leaving the school and returning sometime afterward with the men.
Ironically, the incident took place during Tuesday’s celebration of Peace Day, which was held in schools across Jamaica under the theme ‘Let Peace Run Things’.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Peace and Love in Society (PALS) non-profit society called for mandatory peace training to be included in the local school curriculum.
Meanwhile, Johnson also called for the Ministry of Education (MOE) to spearhead a multi-agency initiative geared toward promoting conflict resolution and addressing violent tendencies among students.
“We urge the MOE to fast-track the character value-based education curriculum that emphasises life skills such as non-violence, peace, tolerance, respect for self, respect for others, respect for life, and respect for property. This has to be a multisectoral approach to include all state agencies that impact behaviour change, agencies such as the Probations Office, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency, the justice centres, and the child diversion centres,” said Johnson.
“Of course, we continue to ask that additional social workers be assigned to our regional offices, to be deployed in our schools, and there has to be the reduction of the ratio of guidance counsellors so that more guidance counsellors can be employed in our schools. Many of the children and students who display these violent tendencies are students who are in need of assistance from these agencies,” Johnson added. “These programmes are geared toward complementing existing programmes that are in our schools, programmes that focus on conflict resolution and promoting positive behaviour.”
Johnson’s recommendation comes less than a week after Larren Peart, the chief executive officer of research specialist company Bluedot Insights, warned a research-driven forum at the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College (SSTC) in St James that ignoring or kicking out students for perceived ‘bad’ behaviour would result in them being influenced by criminal elements, thus perpetuating a cycle of crime adversely affecting children’s educational potential.
During that forum, which was held during the SSTC’s Research Day on February 29 under the theme ‘The Impact of Crime on Education: The Western Jamaica Perspective’, St James’ Senior Superintendent of Police Vernon Ellis recommended that teachers should be given training to better deal with children who come from disruptive backgrounds.