Cross Keys student killed at school

• Principal says institution is violence-prone

Ralph Nelson, principal of Cross Keys High, yesterday said his school is "violence-prone" and does not have the necessary resources to deal with the indiscipline.

Nelson's comments came amid the backdrop of the killing of one student by one of three schoolmates who attacked and stabbed him on the school grounds yesterday.

The principal said many of the students come from the "volatile communities of Mandeville" and are rejected by the schools in the town, which are closer to their homes, because they are "violent and undisciplined".

Commenting on the killing yesterday, Nelson said the boys, who are from New Green district, two miles north of Mandeville, had a dispute in their community the day before. He said during the lunch period, 16-year-old Haig Williams was attacked by three other students, one of whom used a knife to stab him. Williams died while being treated at hospital.

Nelson told The Gleaner that "the writing was on the wall" for quite a while that such an incident was likely to take place at the school.

At the same time, a parent told The Gleaner that two weeks ago, her son had to be locked away in the school's tuck shop before being rescued by the police. She said an 18-year-old boy wanted to hurt him.