Vinaora Nivo Slider 3.xVinaora Nivo Slider 3.x
Vinaora Nivo Slider 3.x

Uproar at Emil Larmonie Primary School continues as teachers wants Directrice replaced.

emillarmonieprotest22062017Parents urged to pick up their children at 1:30 pm as there will be no canteen, Collectivity workers claims racism exists at the school.

Cul de Sac:--- The feud between the teachers of Emil Larmonie Primary School and the Directrice now Vice President of the Collectivity Annick Pertrus continues on Thursday. Several elected officials from the current administration showed up at the school after the Collectivity workers chose to down their tools until a proper solution is found for the problems they have been facing over the years.
Information gathered from various workers who protested on Thursday morning said that at least two teachers verbally assaulted the security guard on Wednesday when the teachers refused to teach the students and let them out of their classrooms while the Directrice of the school  Annick Petrus was attending a meeting with a representative of the Rectorat.
The security guard said that when he saw that the teachers refused to teach and they send the students out of the classrooms he locked the gate to ensure that the lives of the students were not in danger should they exit the school premises. He said at that time two teachers of the school verbally assaulted him and instructed him to open the school gate and they accused him of endangering their lives in the event of a fire. Due to the verbal assault, the Collectivity workers chose to stand in unity on Thursday and called on the elected officials to address their concerns while a number of parents showed up at the school with their children and the school gate was closed. Gendarmes and other law enforcement were also at the school when the silent protest took place. 

At the time of the incident on Wednesday the teachers who chose to protest called the gendarmes and certain members of the media where they gave their side of the problem. However, the school inspector showed up at the school on Wednesday and ordered the teachers to back to their classrooms with their students since the Directrice was in a meeting with a representative of the Rectorat.
According to email correspondence provided to SMN News parents of students attending the school called a meeting where they formed a plan to discuss ways on how they will get the Directrice removed from Emil Larmonie school, in the email the writer stated that they will make flyers that would indicate that the meeting is called to discuss security problems, lack of materials, violence, and hygiene. This meeting was to be held in the parking of the school.
One of the teachers told SMN News on Thursday that they have too many students in their classroom and that the Directrice is constantly absent from school. The teacher said that when the directrice is absent they have too much work to do. Another teacher said that the directrice is taking time off to attend to her political duties and that she is being paid double. They said that the directrice even took time off during the election campaign earlier this year.

In an interview with Vice President, Annick Petrus said that she has the right to 140 hours every three months which she is not paid for to attend to her political duties. She said that prior to the election she got 10 days to conduct her campaign all of which were legal. Petrus said that each time she leaves the school she informs the staff and while she has a class that she teaches she does not leave the school on the days she has to teach, she said if it comes to that she always ensure that someone replaces her. VP Annick Petrus said that it is not her duty to find a replacement but that has to be done by the Rectorat who is fully informed that she is now a Vice President of the Collectivity that also holds the Education portfolio. One of the things the Vice President and Directrice of Emil Larmonie School intend to deal with for the new school year is the school card on the placement of students. Petrus said she is not the first school Directrice that was elected to office and she will not be the last. She also believes that the problems at the school stem from racism or skin color, she said other Directrice had to literally run from their positions because of the pressure they get from some parents. 

The intention of the current administration is to remove the carte scolaire at the beginning of 2018 in order to place students at varoiuos schools around the island  to eliminate the problems that existed over the years at the Emil Larmonie Primary School. A parent of St. Martin decent told SMN News that she has been living in Cul de Sac all her life and she is one of the parents that fought heavily for government to build a school. The parent said the people of Cul de Sac slept on the old premesis, they protested until the Emil Larmonie Primary School was constructed. She said just a few months ago another parent blocked the road and when she decided to stop and let her child out of her that parent who happens to be the wife of a gendarme tried to run over her child.  The woman said she ended up at the gendarmerie and even got hold of a prosecutor where she filed a complaint. Other parents from St. Martin that have children attending the Emil Larmonie Primary also explained that the problems at the school has to do with skin color.

SMN News understands that one of the teachers even went as far as taking her child out of the Directrice class and placed the child in her own class, something it is understood is not legal as it is the Directrice that has to place students. Commenting on that issue the Directress said that the incident did occur and the teacher was told at least three times that she had no right removing her child from the class but the teacher refused to listen to the inspector, the directress said in order to bring about peace she told the inspector to leave the child with the parent who is teaching at the school even though what the teacher did was wrong. She said after that the teacher apologized for her actions.
Sophia Carty, the elected official that is appointed to the Emil Larmonie School described the situation as unacceptable, she said in this day and age of the 21st-century people have to deal with issues of racism. Carty said that after meeting with the Collectivity workers that the workers will not be performing their duties on Thursday and therefore parents are advised to pick up their children by 1:30 pm as there will be no school canteen. Carty further explained that the situation at Emil Larmonie School is becoming unbearable she said parents are demanding that the school be painted and other things while there are other schools that have worst problems that the Collectivity is dealing with, besides that she said even though she along with other elected officials met the workers on Thursday the problems were not solved and as such another meeting will be held when President Gibbs returned to the island. Carty further explained that her main concern is the students that have to witness the constant problems among adults.
At that meeting, all workers, teachers, and parents will be invited.

Click here to view photos of the protest on Thursday morning at the Emil Larmonie School.

 

Vinaora Nivo Slider 3.xVinaora Nivo Slider 3.x

RADIO FROM VOICEOFTHECARIBBEAN.NET

Vinaora Nivo Slider 3.x
Vinaora Nivo Slider 3.xVinaora Nivo Slider 3.x
Vinaora Nivo Slider 3.x
Vinaora Nivo Slider 3.x
Vinaora Nivo Slider 3.x
Vinaora Nivo Slider 3.x