St Michael’s School closed down

UPDATE:

RYAN HAMILTON-DAVIS

THE ST MICHAEL’S School for Boys, an institution that has been in existence for 129 years, has been shut down.

The move has displaced 40 workers who, up to yesterday, have been staffing the massive school compound where, according to a release from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), only four boys were being housed.

The OPM said more than 95 per cent of the children who were there previously were either sent to other children homes or taken to a rehabilitation centre after the proclamation of the Children Act in 2015.

“The Government and the Anglican Church have noted that the number of boys at the school has reduced significantly since October 2017,” the OPM said.

“The school, with a capacity to accommodate 80 boys, has been accommodating an average of four boys per month since November 2017. The low population has led both the Government and the Anglican Church to review the services and the institutional arrangements.”

Newsday was told a large group of workers were yesterday seen at Hayes Court, located at Queen’s Park West, requesting an audience with people at the Ministry of Social Development. With them was an executive members of the Public Service Association (PSA). A source told Newsday, the workers were escorted off the compound by police. They later had a meeting with the ministry’s permanent secretary.

PSA president Watson Duke mediated the meeting. During a Facebook-live feed, Duke said the board of directors at the home was “trying to destroy the lives of workers.” “The PSA is attempting to bring a balance between the desires of the employees, the church and the State,” Duke said.

“The State has been giving the St Michael’s School $1million a month and now the board, under some clandestine act of evil, plans to shut down the school with the assistance of the State and allow these workers to go on the breadline.”

At the meeting, staff blamed the board and the ministry for the situation. However, the permanent secretary told them the home was simply spending too much money.

It was revealed that the home had spent about $206,000 in one year on clothing, and had been spending around $10,000 a month on food.

“We are seeing that they have been spending $40 on a T-Shirt that costs $15,” said the permanent secretary.

Duke said the board, and by extension the permanent secretary, did not care about the workers because they did not say anything in the workers’ defence.

“Here sit several men and women who have given the best of their lives to making this society a better place – dealing with children who the system would have turned their backs upon. Some were kicked, some were raped, some cannot even have children of their own any more. Every single day, going to St Michaels School was like going to a war zone.”

The institution was established by the Anglican Church in 1889 as a residential school for homeless boys. The government partnered with the church in 1980, which led to the Statutory Authority Service Commission (SASC) hiring the staff.

Last year, Newsday reported that the school was racked with staffing problems, poor maintenance and filthy conditions.

Four years ago, 13-year-old Brandon Hargreaves died there while playing with another youth. According to reports, he tried to drop-kick another boy, fell, hit his head on a concrete wall and died.

ORIGINAL STORY:

ST MICHAEL'S Home for Boys, an institution that has been in existence for 129 years has been shut down.

An announcement was made by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) yesterday via a media release, which said that more than 95 per cent of the children who were held at the home were either sent to other Children's Homes or taken to a Rehabilitation Centre, after the proclamation of the Children's Legislation in 2015.

"The Government and the Anglican Church have noted that the number of boys at the School has reduced significantly since October 2017. The School, with a capacity to accommodate eighty (80) boys, has been accommodating an average of four (4) boys per month since November 2017. The low population has led both the Government and the Anglican Church to review the services and the institutional arrangements in place at the School." the media release said.

A large group of workers from the home were seen at Hayes Court requesting an audience with people at the Ministry of Social Development. They were there in the company of Vice President of the Public Services Association (PSA). According to sources, the workers had to be escorted off the compound by police officers

More on this as it becomes available.