BSTU explains reason for expulsion call

President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), Mary Ann Redman, says that the Union’s recommendation of expulsion for the student, who allegedly attacked a teacher at the Ellerslie Secondary School, is rooted in the Ministry of Education’s Student Code of Discipline and the Education Act.

 

During an almost one-and-half hour speech yesterday to the BSTU’s membership at Solidarity House, Redman also told the packed auditorium that the Union is not asking for anything that has not been done before, and so she is unclear as to why the recommendation is being met with such disapproval.

 

“Level three violations which include assault on a teacher, pupil or other staff member – battery, threat, the cursing of a teacher, where any pupil of a school commits any act that causes injury to a teacher and the punishment comes from section 29 (1) in the Education Regulations,” she said.

 

Redman said the Union stands by its recommendation of expulsion and is well aware that there is a process which must be followed, which starts with suspension.

 

Meanwhile, she chided a local media house for its decision to make public the name and address of the teacher who was allegedly attacked by the female student, as she also noted that the same entity printed a story from the student’s mother without corroborating what was said. With that in mind, she sought to give the teacher’s side, as she noted that the teacher, who has some 16 years of teaching experience with an impeccable record, was also voted the school’s 2013 Teacher of the Year for her year group. According to Redman, the teacher is currently on a month’s sick leave and on medication for the injuries she sustained.

 

Redman said that the teacher maintains that she never struck the student, that she did not provoke the student, nor did she curse her. The BSTU president added that contrary to reports, neither the teacher nor the student ended up on the floor. She said that the teacher reported that when she was struck she lost her balance and the student standing behind her grabbed her and held her hands throughout the episode.

 

Dismissing the statements attributed to the student’s mother that the third former was verbally abused by the teacher and the school had not responded to her satisfaction, Redman further contended that investigations by herself and the shop stewards at the school have yet to unearth any reports, written or verbal, from the student or her mother, that had been made to the year head or the principal in relation to the teacher. However, the union leader said she was informed by a school official that complaints were made to the girl’s mother on numerous 

occasions about her behaviour.

 

“The teacher only interacted with the student in the first term of this year – September to December – during which time she never had any altercation with the student. The teacher went on a long leave in the second term and this matter arose on her second day back at school this term,” she stated.

 

Moreover, Redman also took issue with the statements attributed to police sources in the newspaper article, expressing her disappointment about sensitive information being made public during an active investigation. Her comments came as she also informed the teachers present that no date has been set as yet for the disciplinary committee to meet to discuss the issue.

 

Redman is adamant that the school needs to act with alacrity regarding the matter.

 

“Whatever happens here will have the potential to set a serious precedent in this country. The BSTU, based on facts made available to us, and our stated zero tolerance to student on teacher violence, maintains its position that the student, following the normal process, must be expelled,” she stressed. (JRT)

 

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