The Tribune

BY RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

A nine-year-old girl at Stephen Dillet Primary School suffered an asthma attack yesterday that her mother said was triggered by the mould and poor conditions in the building.

Teachers at the time were engaged in a sit-out when they reacted bitterly to a security guard’s decision not to let teachers union president Belinda Wilson re-enter the school’s campus.

The Tribune further understands that “only about five” students showed up for classes at Uriah McPhee, making it six consecutive days classes have not resumed as normal at either institution.

The issues come a day after Education Director Lionel Sands said the Ministry of Education has cleared the schools for reopening and that teachers who have not taught students “will face consequences.”

Janika Moss, mother of the sixth grader who suffered the attack, said this was the second time her daughter has had an attack while at the school.

She said “my children have GLAT exam next year” when asked why she sends her daughter to school given the alleged issues with the building.

Ms Wilson she was sitting with teachers outside Stephen Dillet when The Tribune arrived at the school. However, she later left to get an item from her car. When she tried to re-enter the campus, a security guard denied her entry.

It was the second time this month that she has been denied entry onto a school’s campus – she was also denied access to Anatol Rodgers High School on September 5th.

Teachers protested the decision not to let her on campus by signing out for lunch and demanding that a security guard let them leave through the front gate.

“How the devil y’all could lock the woman out?” asked one teacher. “Call the fire engine. I want to go out and can’t get out,” suggested another when guards refused to open the front gate to let them leave. “Y’all think this is slavery, hey,” remarked another.

One union member who was on campus stood on the school’s wall and demonstrated how she would climb over the gate to get out. More than 25 teachers briefly sang: “We shall overcome someday, we shall overcome.”

Ms Wilson said yesterday that she will file a trade dispute against the government. She added that teachers were “just waiting” for Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald to meet with them at 10am, “like he said he would.”

However, when the press left the school after noon, the Minister had not arrived. “This is another show of disrespect and lack of regard for the teachers,” she said, adding: “The District Superintendent came this morning with a directive that all teachers must report to work. Teachers asked him if they could ask questions and he said ‘no‘. We still have fiber glass problems in the school. In there is unsafe. Only five students showed up at Uriah McPhee. The Director is there inspecting the school as the teachers sit outside. We have two main issues with Stephen Dillet. The vents need to be cleaned really, really thoroughly. Dust is being circulated from it and blown out, causing moisture and mould in the school. The other problem is the fiber glass issue.”

Ms Wilson also showed the press photos of what she says are fiber glass problems at the school and a report by the union’s private inspector who she said declared the school unfit for use.

“I hope the Minister shows up with a better attitude, not dictatorship, not threats because it’s obvious we won’t be intimidated,” she said, adding: “Get off his high horse and let’s see how best we could fix these problems. If the problems are too great, we have suggested some alternative sites to have school. The government would only have to provide bus service for the students. We want the Minister of Education to stop being disingenuous. They got a report from the Ministry of Environment and from our inspector. After receiving our report they sent a person from the environmental department back to the school to assess the problems and that person went back to them and said there were fiber glass problems in the school so stop being disingenuous and say what the issues are. All we want is for them to devise a plan to move forward.”

Vanessa Woodside, vice-chairman of the PTA and the school board at Stephen Dillet, said: “We would like to see the Minister here. We are concerned about the safety of our kids, the teachers, administrators, the janitorial staff and security. We will sit here until the building falls. It’s very hard in the Bahamas for people with no education. Here we are as parents. Feel how we feel that we have to keep our kids home.”