Parents keep infants home over safety concerns at Penal school

Parents will no longer send their first and second-year children to the St Dominic Penal RC Primary School whose infant department has been housed in the church across the road since the old-school building was abandoned almost eight years ago.

A little over a dozen parents picketed the church on the morning of February 10 to raise awareness of the situation.

Parent Shamfa Mentor said the school shared the space with a migrant school and the church, and there was no security guard on the premises.

She said four teachers and a cleaner were expected to supervise the 57 students.

"Anybody could have access to the kids on the compound, because this is a church and it's open to the public."

She said in a recent incident, a mentally challenged man had walked onto the compound and took off his pants.

Additionally, she said the migrant school and primary school had to share limited washroom facilities. While she was not opposed to the migrants being there, she raised concerns that the primary school teachers who were in charge of their children were not familiar with the migrant children nor had control of them.

"The teachers have to constantly be supervising the infants because remember, we don't know who coming in from that door. So that is very unsafe."

She said children's classes were put off when there were functions at the church such as funerals.

The parent of a first-year student who only identified herself as Ms C Charles said the section used by the children had inadequate ventilation, creating an unhealthy learning environment
.

"There's a need for AC (air conditioning). There's no windows to be opened to release that heat. Whenever parents come to pick up children, this is the only door being open and you could feel that heat coming out.

"A lot of times children come home from school and they complain they have a headache, they not feeling well. They are stuffed in that classroom.

"We are putting our children at risk of becoming dehydrated. How is it that a classroom that is so hot can be conducive to learning? That is unfair to these little children."

The school population was split in 2017 after the original structure at Oliviere Drive, Penal was damaged in an earthquake. The infant classes were sent to the church across the road and the rest of the students were sent to the Penal Community Centre. The latter location is the only one with a guard.

In September, parents of the upper classes protested the conditions at the community centre, calling for their school to be rebuilt.

Head of the Catholic Education Board Sharon Mangroo told Newsday then, it had been petitioning the Ministry of Education for more security and the rebuilding of the school.

Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly told Newsday at the time that rebuilding the school was a priority, but would be done when the necessary funding was available.

On February 10 at the demonstrationt, Mentor said she understood that, but argued there were other measures which could be taken to ensure their children's safety. For one, she said unifying the student population would help.

"While we know we can't have a school in the morning, we need some sort of accommodation –
whether it be containers down the hill (at the community centre) to accommodate the infant students
– we just need that security. Let us, as the parents say: 'Okay. We know that we children secured.'"

When contacted, the Catholic Board of Management told Newsday Mentor's suggestion could be a viable option and would be raised with the ministry.

Newsday was, however, unable to get a comment from the Gadsby-Dolly.

Mentor said the school had been an important part of the community,
which is why the parents continued to fight for it instead of transferring their children out.

"I have three children that left here and they went on to good schools. Academically they're achieving well.

"So it have a good footing here.

"That is why we are standing for St Dominic Penal RC, because we know that they produce good results, good sportsman, good athletes. A lot of good things came out of Penal RC and we are standing with the teachers and the principal and we are the voice of even them."