Armed members of the Defence Force yesterday took up temporary posting at the Chaguanas North Secondary School, after it was reported that the school would come under attack from gang members in the community.
The soldiers, who happened to be at the school on another matter yesterday, volunteered to offer the “extra security” after a report that a gun attack was to be executed on a teacher, security personnel and students. The attack was to be executed by warring gangs in the area who were dressed as students. The attackers had been asked by students of the school who were part of the gangs to carry out the attack as a planned act of revenge following a recent incident at the school.
After the police, Ministry of Education and T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) were notified, the school was dismissed at 9 am. National Security Minister Edmund Dillon was also notified of the situation and expressed deep concern.
Ministers in the Ministry of Education, Anthony Garcia and Lovell Francis, and TTUTA members held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation and held a press conference at Tower D, International Waterfront Centre, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, to discuss the matter.
TTUTA president Devanand Sinanan said a parent on her way to the school was flagged down by a student who alerted her to the situation. He said the day before a student had been charged by the police and another student was given a “buss head,” adding he believed revenge came into play and school uniforms were given out to “those not in the school” to carry out the deadly attack against the staff and students.
“The plan to execute a gun attack today on a teacher and security officers on the premises resulted in army presence on the compound and an early dismissal,” he said.
He said it was a mere coincidence that a parent who was a member of the Defence Force had also gone to the school to get a report card and was notified of the situation by the parent who was flagged down earlier. The soldier parent immediately volunteered, along with some of his colleagues who were also present, to provide security until the Chaguanas police were alerted.
Sinanan said classes at the school were also suspended this past week due to a spate of threats and violence perpetrated by students who had links to gang members. He said students who are members of gangs sprayed the wall with graffiti with the words “Rasta City” and “Muslims” and many of them scaled the wall, lined with razor wire, to gain access to the compound when they were not allowed through the gate.
Sinanan said there were also reports of drugs and guns being taken onto the compound by the students, and police have been called in continuously due to reports of physical and verbal abuse against the teachers and there were even parts of the compound where teachers were afraid to go. Furthermore, he said, the principal had been instructed by the police officers at the Chaguanas Police Station that she should not make any more reports there or take students involved in violence there.
He said security at the school was reduced over a year ago and this was the main reason for the increased indiscipline at the school.
“They should install more cameras, the return of a second safety officer, more levels of support from the police and we are asking for the temporary removal of students displaying violent and indisciplined behaviour linked to gang activity and posing a threat,” he said.
Sinanan said the association would like to see some semblance of order restored and normalcy returned to the school.
He, however, said he admired the teachers who were there on a daily basis amidst the threats to their lives.
“There is gang activity playing itself out and this gang activity is external to the school.”
He called for Out of School Suspension Centres in Caroni so the students would not just be sent home but ministry personnel could intervene.
“They are not getting the level of support when they should,” he said.
Minister Garcia said MTS security personnel will now be keeping a strong security presence at the school for as long as necessary. He described the issue as “frightening, an ugly scourge and serious,” adding the spate of indiscipline at schools was ongoing.
But Garcia pledged that students who did not behave would be facing the full brunt of the law and indiscipline would be dealt with.
“We will do everything to end this scourge in our schools. We have to put our heads together to eradicate indiscipline in our schools,” he said, adding schools should be places of safety and gang warfare at the school was a cause of great concern.
Garcia said he planned to visit the school on Tuesday at 9 am but classes would resume on Monday.
Contacted yesterday, Central Division head, Snr Supt Jayson Forde, said the information was new to him and he refused to comment on the issue. However, officers at the Chaguanas station last night confirmed they had received a report of the violence at the school.