BUT president says teacher still nursing wounded arm
NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Having remained out of the classroom for four days last week following an alleged altercation between two students and a teacher, teachers at the C.V. Bethel Senior High School returned to the classroom on Monday, said Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) president Belinda Wilson.
The BUT head said an assembly was held at the school on Monday morning and the principal was able to address students.
She said at yesterday’s assembly, the principal emphasized the school rules, regulations and policies as it relates to punishment, and what would happen if the students did not adhere.
“Following the assembly, they were able to go back to class and settle [into starting] school,” Wilson said.
Last week, teachers at the C.V. Bethel Senior High School left their classrooms and opted not to teach, after the Ministry of Education reportedly failed to address an alleged altercation on the school’s campus – last week Monday – involving a student and a teacher.
Law enforcement authorities were summoned to the school’s campus and the teacher was taken to the hospital to receive medical care after allegedly sustaining injuries to his arm.
Following last Monday’s incident, teachers at the South Beach school sat out for four days, where they reportedly convened in the school’s staffroom to draw up a thorough discipline, health and safety plan.
Teachers who claimed that they were traumatized by last week’s reported altercation also sought medical assistance.
As for the health and safety plan devised last week by teachers, Wilson told Eyewitness News yesterday that teachers are expected to engage in a briefing today [Tuesday] to discuss its implementation.
“They need to make sure that teachers are in certain strategic points on the campus and the school’s police, along with security and administrators are all on board to ensure that everyone is working the plan; because the plan has to be working in order for it to be successful,” she said.
Wilson said the union will be monitoring C.V. Bethel very closely to see if the health and safety plan is in fact implemented.
She also lamented that it was quite “sad” that a safety plan was devised on the heels of an incident.
Meanwhile, Wilson said the BUT is still expected to file a trade dispute on behalf of teachers at the C.V. Bethel, after the union was reportedly denied access to the school’s premises last week.
As for the teacher who was allegedly attached, Wilson said, “The teacher is still out. He is still feeling pain in his arm and we are going to monitor that closely”.
