The initial passing rate for St.maarten Academy P.S.V.E is 49% which is the lowest it has ever been in the history of the school existence. During Mrs. Duncan tenure, the average passing rates were between 80 - 89%.
Base on the chart in the attachment, 33 persons will be doing their resit this week and hopefully that will increase the initial passing rate. 77 persons completed the exams and 38 persons passed the exam out right. Which means 39 students has to do over the exam or failed out right.
Thank God this ETE system allows multiple resits. My son passed his exam but his two other friends did not . Others has to do over the resit which can be a lot harder according to what I have heard.
Teachers and students has been complaining about Lavern Nelson leadership style who seem to be tormenting certain teachers on staff if they openly disagree with her. Under her leadership, 3 persons will be losing their jobs after direct conflict with her. Teachers are given letters if they are 1 min late according to my friend who works their as a teacher. She has been treating some teachers as a child while manipulating others to get what she wants. She is known to be a compulsive liar and some teachers demands another persons to accompany them when meeting her in the office.
Unfortunately, Mrs.Nelson spent more time trying to control and torment teachers who has already been producing great passing results for many years.
As a concern parent, my child has been denied his basic rights to eat and to use the bathroom in the past. The security guard Chris goes around yelling and pushing the students around while he is never disciplined for his action according to my knowledge. He works very close with Mrs.Nelson spying on teachers. They are both from Guyana and guess his loyalty is to her.
The school has been in the news recently due to the problem teachers has been facing with the Principal. Many teachers complained in the past that the new Principal was positioned there to harass and torment certain teachers by the school board . Mrs. Duncan refused to do the dirty work of the board now this New Principal is a direct extension of the board. The school board has dipped in certain teachers salary without proper communication which has cause some hardship for some. The question remains, where is that money going? Does it go back to the government account or does the school board uses it for their own personal uses?
A couple of months ago, the principal allowed her Vice Principal to lock a student against her will with 2 male persons, while they aggressively interrogate the student who was telling the truth about a situation in efforts to force the child to change her story. Unfortunately, according to the female student, their were no legal representation for the student during that process.
The students themselves are under duress and stressed by the principal as well. Students aren't allowed to eat and go to the bathroom when ever they request to. Teachers would send the students when ever they asked but the principal and security send them back to the class. There was a point in time when the principal actually locked the bathrooms. But it doesn't happen any more according to the school children but who knows. We have watch students cry or through a fit because they are being denied their basic rights for food or the use of the bathroom .
Surprisingly, the teachers do not want her gone from the school however they do not want to work under her type of leadership. They do care about her well-being and did wish she had had shown the same compassion for others under her leadership.
This same principal apologized last year for the manner in which she treated some teachers and asked for another chance to do better but this year she actually got worse according to some staff members. Some teachers has lost the zeal and commitment for teaching at the organization because of this principal and the board. They are tired and hurt and are not willing to go the extra miles as before. But as the chairman of the board Mr. Duncan clearly stated last week, they (school board) run the school and not the teachers. To date, the school board has NOT met with the teachers since the first letter. As a result, you now have a demotivated teaching staff and students on campus. The numbers do not lie!
Concern
PTA Parent.
