Port Royal Primary students were sent home on Monday morning after teachers apparently did not show up
Port Royal Primary School students were sent home today, as teachers failed to show up for class.
A parent informed Bermuda Broadcasting that, as they turned up to drop off their child, they were told that the teachers have not come in today.
The parent said that it wasn’t a staff member that informed them of the situation.
Bermuda Broadcasting reached out to both the Ministry of Education and to the Bermuda Union of Teachers for more information on the matter.
A Ministry Spokesperson responded, “the Ministry of Education has closed Port Royal Primary School today due to insufficient staff. Parents have been notified, and students were dismissed for the day. The Department will provide updates to parents and key stakeholders as they become available.”
Port Royal Primary has been at the centre of a row over alleged ministerial overreach.
At an an inter-school track meet in April, the Port Royal P.E. teacher had apparently prohibited a student from participating for disciplinary reasons.
The Royal Gazette reported that the student’s mother reached out to Education Minister Crystal Caesar. A meeting between education officials and teacher reportedly led to teachers warning that the event would be shut down if the student took part.
The P.E. teacher was subsequently put on administrative leave.
The Bermuda Union of Teachers suggested that due process had been undermined, and stated, “when school-level discipline is overturned from above… we are not just ‘softening’ the system – we are quietly ensuring that the antisocial behavior and societal ills… will continue to manifest well into the next generation.”
The union spokesperson added that, under the Education Act and Code of Conduct, school discipline is the responsibility of the principal, and that suspensions are issued by school leadership, can be extended by the Commissioner of Education, and may ultimately be appealed to the Minister, “in that order”.
The PTA Executive at Port Royal also unanimously believe the P.E. teacher should be reinstated.
Last week, Government reiterated its position, rejecting the notion that Education Minister Caesar acted improperly or outside of her authority.
A statement added that the Minister has responsibility to ensure the system is operating fairly and in the best interest of students, in line with the Education Act.
Minister Caesar stated, “when concerns are brought forward, the Minister has a duty to seek information, review what took place, and ensure that decisions were handled fairly and appropriately. That is not interference. That is part of the Minister’s job.
“No Minister can ignore concerns involving the well-being or treatment of a child and pretend it is someone else’s responsibility.”
