Danae Hyman, Online Reporter

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency has taken an interest in reports that the parent of a student being bullied at the Glenmuir Prep School in Clarendon has been asked to withdraw the child after she threatened to take legal action against the institution.

Already, the Education Ministry is probing the matter.

CEO of the child protection agency, Rosalee Gage Grey, said her agency is awaiting the outcome of the ministry's probe before its potential investigation.

Last Friday, The Gleaner reported that Juliet Johnson Clarke was furious after she received a letter from the school asking her to withdraw her son in a bid to protect the school's "good name" and in her best interest as well as that of the child.

READ: Mother of bullied boy asked to withdraw son

Months earlier, Johnson Clarke had threatened to sue the school for negligence, saying it had not taken sufficient action after she reported to the administration that her son was repeatedly being bullied by another student.

This morning, there was tension at the school when Johnson Clarke turned up with the child for the first day of the new term.

"I took my child in and tried giving the teacher his lunch money for the week but she refused to accept it stating that she will not take the money because the school is having problems with him," Johnson Clarke said.

She said the principal eventually took the money.

"My son is not a troubled child and I just want him to stay where he is contented. I am just confused, frustrated and heartbroken at the moment,” she said.

To compound the issue, Johnson Clarke said while she was on her way out, board member Father Winston Thomas insisted that she should remain for a meeting with board chairperson Winsome Singh who was on her way to the institution.

According to the mother, Thomas said saying otherwise, the Child Development Agency would be asked come and take her son.

Thomas had earlier declined to comment, deferring to the board chairperson.

But Johnson Clarke said she could not stay for the meeting, as she was only informed about it this morning and she had to go to work.

Meanwhile, Singh said she was surprised by the turn of events, as the last time she and principal Andre Riley met with Johnson-Clarke, the mother reported that the bullying had decreased significantly after the accused bully was removed from her son’s class.

"This is all shocking to me," Singh told The Gleaner.

Johnson-Clarke agreed that the level of bullying had, in fact, declined but said when the children were at play, it continued resulting in her child developing social problems.

She said she was not advocating the removal of the bully but instead for him to receive help.

Johnson-Clarke also said she did not want her son to be ostracised.

A board meeting is to be held on Wednesday afternoon with all parties.

Mother of bullied child accused of creating mischief

Juliet Johnson-Clarke, the mother of the Glenmuir prep school child at the centre of a bullying controversy, is being accused of creating mischief. 

Several parents say they are satisfied that the school has made sufficient efforts to address her concerns, but despite this Johnson Clarke persists with claims that issue continues.

They have also rejected Johnson-Clarke's claims that other parents have reported that their children were being bullied.

“If they take back that child to this school, the mother is going to cause problems and I don’t want to have anything to do with her," one parent said.

Another parent who asked not to be named revealed that last year, others had to intervene when Johnson-Clarke took her child from devotions to her car and proceeded to spank him.

Johnson-Clarke has confirmed that she had reason to reprimand her son at school on one occasion last year but maintained that she did not abuse her child.

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