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  • 9 months ago
Most of teachers at the Scarborough RC Primary School in Tobago stayed away from classes on Wednesday following a violent attack by a student at the school on Wednesday.


Teachers and students locked the doors to their classes on Tuesday as a standard three student at the school attempted to assault them. Police were called to the scene. More in this Elizabeth Williams report.
Transcript
00:00Parents told TV6 News they have had enough of the violence by the student of
00:05the school who at one time attempted to assault the principal at the school.
00:10This was the third such incident at the school where the police were called.
00:15Students have been attacked numerous times. The student suspended then returns
00:20and commits other acts of violence.
00:51I'm very disturbed by it because I don't know which day I send my son to school
00:57I can get a call saying something that is a bit worse than what I heard
01:02yesterday you know and I'm thinking that the school should handle this situation
01:06a little better I'm not sure how far along in dealing with the issue they are
01:11but everyday children come here they are at risk not just the children but the
01:16teachers as well and I am standing in solidarity with them for not coming out
01:21today and I hope that education will take the necessary steps to do whatever
01:25needs to be done so that the child will get the assistance that he needs as well
01:29as our children would be able to come into a safe space on their own.
01:33I think a little bit more should have been done with terms that I give you know
01:37information as to what is taking place because that's using big words like a
01:42situation occur and something is happening but you're not getting any details.
01:47This child is overdoing it. It's not the first time JJ, my grandson, come home and
01:52complaining about this boy. My grandson was playing football one day in the back
01:59there take off his shoes and playing football when he got to put on back his
02:03shoes the other child said hey don't put on, don't put on that shoe you know
02:07because he break buckle and put it in his shoe. Now if the children didn't say
02:11anything now what would have happened?
02:13On Wednesday the majority of teachers at the school stayed away from classes as
02:18parents were called to collect their children. Tutor Tobago officer Brayden
02:22Roberts speaking outside the school told members of the media policymakers need
02:27to do more to treat with deviant behavior of the nation's children.
02:32The incident that took place yesterday is just one aspect of what we face in our schools
02:38ever so often. So while the crux of the the thing took place on the outside of
02:44the school compound our teachers have been facing deviant behavior from
02:48students for some time and it makes me think that our policymakers they do not
02:54believe in preparing for the worst while we hope for the best you know we have
02:57nice nice ideas and we just hope that things go well. We have students with
03:01deviant behaviors that we need systems in place to treat with. Mr. Roberts said
03:06teachers have had enough. We have teachers who are being terrified by some
03:11of these things that are happening. We have students that are being terrified by some of
03:14these things that are happening and all we get is the sympathy statements that
03:19will come from our ministers and our secretaries when these things happen. So
03:24there is this particular student who has a history of deviant behavior. It's the
03:31same student that would have been terrorized in Hope Anglican school a
03:34couple years back. I know the division did have an intervention. They did some
03:39psychology work with the students. They had a teacher brought in to have one-on-one
03:46work with that child until he's able to be reintegrated. I know Scarborough RSC
03:50they were hesitant in having the child taken in but it's a human being and we
03:53need to cater to this human being and we cannot just put such persons in a
03:58dungeon and cast them away. There needs to be systems in place to really address it.
04:03TV6 News reached out to the Division of Education for a comment on the matter
04:08and we are awaiting a response. Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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