Schoolboy Jayden Lalchan’s suicide death reaches budget debate

BOTH government and opposition members addressed the death of 15-year-old Jayden Lalchan in the Lower House on October 7 as the budget debate continued.

Opposition Princess Town MP Barry Padarath and D’Abadie/O’Meara MP and Minister in the Education Ministry Lisa Morris-Julian addressed the issue, with the latter saying there was a discipline matrix in place to address bullying in schools, and the ministry had a zero-tolerance policy on bullying.

She also urged parents to have discussions with their children and talk to them about bullying and other forms of school violence.

Lalchan died by suicide on October 3, after having been bullied for some time.

Police said the matter was being investigated and TT Unified Teachers Association president Martin Lum Kin called for enhanced programmes to support victims of bullying.

During debate on October 7, Morris-Julian sent condolences to Lalchan's family, classmates, friends and all who knew and cherished him. Morris-Julian said as a mother, she too, felt the pain Lalchan's family is feeling, adding that this should never have happened.

“Madam Speaker, the circumstances surrounding this very tragic loss are complex and discussing the personal and sensitive details in the public domain would not be very responsible of me.

“However, I have seen children, adults, targeted by other persons who see it fitting.”

She said the ministry must honour the privacy of Lalchan’s family and recognise that there were layers in this situation that deserved careful consideration.

“We as adults in this House must not use tragedy as a tool.”

She said the Student Support Services Division had contacted the family and the school to offer support, and the ministry will respect the parents’ wishes and give them the needed time and space.

Education Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly instructed the senior guidance counsellor to mobilise the ministry's entire team to ensure ongoing support and monitoring were provided to the entire school and its community, Morris-Julian said.

She added that the Student Support Services Division would continue to speak with the school’s student, as the situation was a challenging one for all.

“Madam Speaker, we must recognise that a range of underlying issues can contribute to a child’s distress and it is vital that we approach the matter with the utmost sensitivity and empathy at this time.

“We do not need to make death a political tool.”

Morris-Julian reminded parents that they could request counselling for their children and the services were available in schools, as well as at the Ministry of Sport and Community Development.

Speaking to the government’s interventions, Morris-Julian said Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox had sent her team out that morning to visit the family.

She also informed the public of the national suicide prevention hotline launched last year, 800-COPE (2673).

While she was highlighting the procedures, some Opposition members left and Morris-Julian said she was delivering the message so someone out there might get it, and it was very telling to her that some of the “biggest bullies” would walk out while she was doing so.

“Bullying and intimidation is a major offence listed by the Ministry of Education’s national discipline matrix and it carries severe consequences,” she said.

Disrespect and defiance to authority, assault without a weapon, cyber bullying, extortion, fighting without a weapon, forgery, gambling and lewd, inappropriate behaviour and possession and use of alcohol were “frowned upon” under the disciplinary matrix and there were structured responses for each student committing these major infractions, she said.

In the first instance, a student would be referred to the Student Support Services, she said, and amandatory parent/guardian conference was used for the second offence.

A seven-day out-of-school suspension, a referral to the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services and an escalation to the severe-infraction level would be implemented if the behaviour persisted, she said.

Morris-Julian said any infraction that involved violence against another person which resulted in criminal charges being laid against a student would be treated as a severe third offence resulting in expulsion.

The ministry had had  to expel several students for this type of behaviour since her term in office began, Julian-Morris said.

She urged parents facing this to reach out to teachers, form teachers and school supervisors, if they felt they were not being heard.

To bullies, she said, “Let me make myself very clear: it is never okay to hurt others. Hurting someone by your words and actions is not a sign of strength, it is a sign of weakness.”

Padarath: Bullying in schools, Parliament

During his contribution, Princes Town MP Barry Padarath said the death of Lalchan had rocked not only Princes Town but the entire country. Schools were meant to be safe spaces and a haven to learn and develop, he said.

“Instead, for Jayden, it became a place where he was bullied, tormented, tortured, haunted and preyed upon like an animal,” he added. He said that experience for four years cost Lalchan his life.

Padarath said he spent three hours listening to the tributes his parents heaped on him: a child gifted academically, award-winning, respectful and ambitious but now dead.

“I cannot stand here today, Madam Speaker, and tell you I do not know what that feels like. I cannot tell you that I too have not experienced what Jayden endured.

“I cannot tell you that when I entered these hallowed walls that I too expected that this would be a safe space.”

He said from the nation’s schools to its Parliament, bullying, torment and torture were normalised and he made no apologies for saying so.

“What has occurred in our nation’s schools is a direct result of what is being mirrored in the highest offices in our land: bravado, toxicity, vulgarity.

“I cannot imagine the endless pain losing a child brings with it, but I know what contemplating suicide is,” he said.

He said that was when an individual found themselves in a space where they felt defenceless, cornered, and that the bully had won and was in control of how others perceived them.

The school system, police, laws of the country, $66 billion spent in education over the last ten years and over $100 billion spent in national security failed Lalchan, he said.

“Nothing we do here today, Madam Speaker, would bring back this child of our nation.”

Padarath chided Gadsby-Dolly's response.

He said the budget for the Children’s Authority – a critical component to the protection of children – had been cut by $5 million under the Office of the Prime Minister, while raising several headline issues which occurred over the last few days relating to children.

He also spoke of budgetary cuts to some children’s homes.

Padarath said children like Lalchan would continue to be forgotten as the government lacked the political will to resource the Children’s Authority.

Anyone who needs help or is thinking about harming themselves can call Lifeline (24-hour hotline) at 800-5588, 866- 5433 or 220-3636.