The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Lucaya International School in Grand Bahama is being accused by a parent of racial discrimination and unfair treatment in a dispute over the recent selection of the head girl.

The school denies that there is any racial bias by its staff towards black students.

The institution, the only international school on the island, said it has a student body comprised 60 per cent of black students and has given $3.5m in scholarships to local Bahamians.

Headmaster/principal Michael Lowery told The Tribune yesterday that the allegations are not true. “I don’t believe the allegations are true, I feel like our staff goes above and beyond for all students,” he said.

According to reports in a local paper, a parent claimed that black students are being treated unfairly and discriminated against at the school. The mother alleged that, during the recent selection of the school’s head girl, her daughter was voted the clear favourite by students, but was not selected for the position because the school’s staff had voted against her. She noted that it was not first instance of discrimination regarding her daughter and claims that there are other parents of black students who also feel their children have been treated unfairly.

Mr Lowery said it is the first time “to the best of his knowledge” that any such allegations have been made by parents at the school. “Black students are not being treated differently, said Mr Lowery, the principal of four years.

He indicated that the current head boy and head girl are black Bahamians, and that the school’s 18-year history will show that 75 per cent of its head boys and head girls have been Bahamians and 25 per cent other nationalities.

Mr Lowery said that the student who was elected head girl is white and insists that the process was fair. He said that the voting results stated by the mother in the Freeport News article were inaccurate. “The mother said it was 59 per cent – that is not accurate,” Mr Lowery said. “We don’t know where that number came from.”

He explained that, unlike most of the schools in Grand Bahama where the vote for head boy and girl is selected by the teachers, LIS uses a mixture of votes from the students and staff. “We allow students to vote and the staff, and we mix the two together. I believe other schools have a practice of taking only the staff vote,” he added.

“I don’t think the staff believes the allegations in the article, or discriminate against students. Sixty per cent of the students at the school are Bahamians and 40 per cent other – we are an international school and we have students from 29 countries here.”

“I am disappointed that a parent is out there making these accusations, especially the second parent who I have never talked to before. I feel like we always had an open rapport with our parents.”

Mr Lowery said that Lucaya International School (LIS) has 100 per cent graduation rate and university acceptance rate.

“We are the only school on the island that can boast of those numbers. Our Board of Directors gave out $250,000 in scholarships to local students, and our school in the last 18 years has given about $3.5 million in scholarships to local Bahamian students. It is hard for me to fathom that we are not doing our part to make Grand Bahama a better place,” he said.