The heads of unions representing teachers and principals on Tuesday called for sustained and expanded school security checks, alongside special schools to cater to disruptive and delinquent students.
This follows the latest incident of violence in schools, occurring on Monday when a boy stabbed a schoolmate at the Alexandra Secondary School.
The incident prompted the principal to introduce security searches at the school gate on Tuesday. The searches resulted in long lines of students stretching for many yards along the perimeter of the school, with the queues persisting until after 10 a.m.
President of the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPSS), Stephen Jackman contended that the long lines were unavoidable if security is to be treated as a priority: “That is always going to be a feature as long as we have to do searches. There is no easy way to do it. We are going to decide whether we want security or we want comfort,” Jackman, the principal of The Lodge School, told Barbados TODAY.
He expressed hope that the situation would improve as the Ministry of Education’s security policy takes effect.
“We are having to deal with this [violence] over and over. It is a reflection of what is happening in society. The school can only do so much; and I am hoping that as the ministry unveils its security policy, we can minimise these incidents,” the BAPPSS head said.
The Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) also supported the security measures at the school. BSTU President Mary Redman explained that due to the immediate need for action following the stabbing, long lines formed because there were not enough metal detectors or security personnel.
Redman said the Alexandra School principal had assured staff that an additional security guard and more metal detectors would be provided to speed up the search process and reduce the long queues outside the school.
The union leader also called for the establishment of two separate institutions to cater specifically to children who cannot function in a regular school environment.
“We have been asking for a school with a special programme to address children who fit that bill and who demonstrate that need,” she told Barbados TODAY.
“We have also asked for a residential-type institution because some children have to be removed from the environment that causes problems for them. There are such institutions all over the world, and it would just be for the ministry to determine exactly how it is going to be done. But the fact of the matter is, you remove the child, and you put the child in a special programme catering to its needs, providing the type of psycho-social support it may need, and placing the child in a situation of much stricter discipline.”
Elaborating further on the non-residential facility, the BSTU head suggested that it would be an educational institution geared towards children who present challenges in the normal school environment.
Redman also addressed the impact that the “very, very serious” violence in schools is having on teachers, placing specific emphasis on Alexandra.
“The teachers at the school are very, very disturbed and upset by the [stabbing]. They fear that their psychological and emotional needs are not being met adequately in relation to the help they get in dealing with the trauma of incidents of violence like that,” the union leader lamented.
“And there seems to have been a few things at Alexandra in the last few years, either within the school or just outside of the school. They feel they don’t get the type of support that they need to properly address their challenges and their trauma in relation to violence that they have been exposed to.”
Redman again stressed that parents must be held accountable for the behaviour of their children, warning that the violence is likely to continue unless this happens.
The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) also called for an immediate end to the violence, which it argued is having negative effects on both teaching and learning.
President of the BUT, Rudy Lovell, agreed with his BSTU counterpart regarding the role of parents in helping to curb the violence.
“Parents need to teach their children what is acceptable behaviour, including empathy, how to be responsible, conflict resolution, and encourage them to report conflict before it escalates,” Lovell told Barbados TODAY.
“Students should be reminded that schools have confidential channels for them to report violent intentions or report students who may be carrying weapons. Students should be reminded of unacceptable behaviours and their consequences.”
Lovell also suggested that secondary schools should have security personnel at entry and exit points and that the Ministry of Education should consider increasing the number of safety officers in the secondary school system.
He added that support services should be provided to students dealing with anger management or emotional distress.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
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