Mom says medical bill soaring as JC probes student assault
Published:Wednesday | April 1, 2026 | 12:08 AMErica Virtue/Senior Gleaner Writer
The leadership of Jamaica College was meeting up to late last night to deliberate on a violent incident involving students at the Old Hope Road, St Andrew-based institution. The episode left one boy seriously injured and his mother facing medical bills already exceeding a quarter million dollars and still rising.
The school was forced into a defensive posture following allegations from the mother of a student who was severely beaten by schoolmates last Tuesday. Though she has not filed a formal report with the institution, the woman believes the administration is fully aware of what occurred.
Speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, the mother, who did not want to be publicly identified, said she was first alerted to the incident by a call from the school nurse on March 24 asking her to collect her son.
“I have spent close to $200,000 since March 24th. He has a broken nose and a tear in his conjunctiva. He has rib and chest pain, and so we have a chest scan tomorrow (today) for $58,000. He is also seeing the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon this afternoon regarding the nose. He has been under the care of his paediatrician and ophthalmologist,” the mother said, adding that she was grateful that her son survived.
UPDATE AFTER INITIAL CALL
She recounted that after the initial call on March 24, she received another update on Monday evening.
“I picked him up from the nurse’s station. The dean of discipline met me at the nurse’s station. Each day since the incident happened, we have been going to various specialists to seek appropriate medical care for his injuries,” she explained.
Despite this, she said she has had no communication from the school’s leadership, including principal Wayne Robinson.
“The school has not contacted me, so I have no idea how they are addressing the matter. My understanding is that the boys who beat up my son are in school,” she told The Gleaner.
She also indicated that one boy had been arrested and charged with wounding in connection with the incident, which is under investigation by the Matilda’s Corner police. She believes the charge was laid on the basis of her report.
However, Robinson told The Gleaner that preliminary investigations suggest that only one student was involved. He added that the school intends to issue an official statement by Wednesday following deliberations among its leadership.
A report carried by Television Jamaica alleged that the injured student was attacked by a group of boys on the school compound as he made his way to the canteen to buy lunch. One boy reportedly pointed out that he had dropped money. After he had retrieved it, another claimed it.
The student said one of the boys attempted to take the money from him, and when he resisted, he was struck repeatedly in the chest.
He said he screamed and pleaded to be left alone, attempting to defend himself and escape. Instead, the situation escalated.
According to the account, he threw his food at one of the attackers before being struck in the face, leaving him with a broken nose and eye injuries. He described being pulled by the hair and eventually knocked to the ground, where he was beaten in the face. He said he continues to experience severe pain from the assault.
Another student eventually intervened and took him to the nurse, who then contacted his mother.
The mother said a CT scan has since confirmed the broken nose, adding to what she described as a growing burden of medical expenses arising from ongoing consultations and treatment.