After-school register for students proposed

WESTERN BUREAU:

Relatives of six-year-old Jevanie Kidd, the child who died recently after being swept away by floodwaters in Catadupa, St James, are calling on the Ministry of Education to make it mandatory for primary schools to have a ‘sign in/sign out’ system as an extra layer of protection for the children.

Karen Carty, the People’s National Party (PNP) councillor caretaker of the Frankfield division in Clarendon, made the recommendation on Wednesday, after she joined members of Jevanie’s family in a meeting they had with administrators at the Catadupa Primary and Junior High School, where the deceased child was a grade one student.

“I came just to visit the school and to get a little feedback of what really happened. I know that at some primary schools, they have a sign-out book for the children. Whenever they are at school and dismissal time comes, whether it is a parent or guardian or a taxi driver, the teacher always knows the individual who is coming for the child,” said Carty, who is related to the deceased child. “It is surprising to know that at this school, there is no sign-out system.”

Young Kidd was washed away by floodwaters as he tried to make his way home on his own during heavy showers, which sparked flooding along the roadway to his home.

“What bothers me is that the babies should always have somebody signing them out and picking them up. I do not think they should just be allowed to go home from school. I would just appeal to the Government and the minister of education to visit the school, and also other schools that do not have a sign-out system for the babies, and to put something in place,” added Carty.

While the administrators at the Catadupa school were reluctant to disclose details about the meeting with the child’s family and the recommendation by Carty, The Gleaner was directed to a sign near the school’s front entrance, which outlined the start and dismissal times for classes each day. The dismissal times were listed as 3 p.m. between Mondays and Wednesdays; 2 p.m. on Thursdays, and 2:30 p.m. on Fridays.

Camille Davis-Williams, the principal of the Westmoreland-based St Paul’s Primary School, told The Gleaner that plans are in place for such a system at her school, noting that they see it as a necessary safety measure.

“We do not have that system in place as yet. However, it is a part of our safety policy here, and we are working on getting it done before the month is out,” said Davis-Williams.

Richard Dennis, the regional adviser for the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica’s Region 4, was not too keen on the recommendation, albeit not rejecting it outright.

“I think this idea needs some fleshing out, because what it would mean is that after school, if the person cannot pick up the child, then the child would have to stay on the school compound, and who is going to stay with the child on the compound? I think we are being reactive, and I do not think we are fleshing out the issues,” said Dennis.

The matter of parents picking up their children from school as a precautionary measure to ensure the children’s well-being was previously highlighted in 2016, following reports that parents of primary-school students were using the schools as day-care centres, and in some cases, employing streetside vendors to babysit their children after dismissal.

At that time Byron Buckley, the Ministry of Education’s director of corporate communications, said parents have a duty to pick up their children at dismissal time.