MARIGOT:--- Discussions on the border controls that have been extended until September 15 due to the rise in active COVID-19 cases on both sides of the island have elevated on Monday morning when a French teacher identified as Madame Wilma Anais Wilson a resident of St. Maarten was blocked from entering the French side with her two children.
The teacher in question posted on her Facebook page that she is she was blocked at the border even though she and her children are French citizens. The post went on to state that the teacher is married to someone from St. Maarten thus she chose to reside there.
Facebook posts read. “Hello, I am a teacher on the island of Saint-Martin since September 01, 2004, and I am married to a Dutchman and live on the Dutch side of Sxm 🇸🇽. I am French and my children too.
I cross the border every day since the blockage with my children in my vehicle. Yesterday I did the pre-re-entry normally and I crossed the border as usual with my children in the car and it wasn’t a problem.
This morning I went to the border as usual with my children in uniform to go to work and was told that the Préfète has given instructions not to allow any French child or teachers to cross the border.
I kept explaining that I am a teacher and that the children are educated in my establishment. I was told the orders are the orders. The Préfète actually closed the border from teachers and children crossing this morning to go to school. “
After the post was made several St. Martin residents reacted on Social Media condemning the decisions taken by the Prefecture on the reopening of school on the French. The Teachers Union also was involved and the teacher managed to obtain a C-waiver to cross the border so that she could go to work, however the teacher two minor children that attend the school where she teaches were not allowed to cross-border on the same waiver.
On Monday afternoon, the teachers union, representatives from the Parents Association were on radio programme discussing the unfortunate situation. One of the solutions presented is to take the matter to court since the border controls are preventing minor students that are supposed to be in school are prevented by the State representative.
SMN News will continue to follow the developments and will report the outcome in another article.
