THE EDITOR, Sir:
IT IS with disgust that I read a report that students at Immaculate Conception High School conspired to jepordise the health of a teacher, by spitting into her water bottle. If the report is as it says, they obviously knew what they were doing, evidenced by their well planned and implemented act.
In Boston a woman spat on a policeman and was charged, tried and sentenced for assault. In Jamaica, spitting on someone is the most insulting, nasty thing that one can do to another, let alone into one's food or drink.
There is no question that the students should be expelled! There must be a line drawn as to how long we will tolerate these indisciplined and lawless acts. If the teacher had slapped the students' faces, (an equivalent insult) she/he would be fired or brought up on charges of assault.
DISRESPECT
It is this kind of disrespect that is propelling the violence in our society, when left unchecked.
The reason these girls need to leave Immaculate is that it is obvious that the school has ceased to serve the purpose of educating them to function as worthwhile Jamaicans. They will need to find other private institutions and pay to receive an education.
Moreover, the teacher should file a complaint against the students for assault and let the full weight of the law be experienced by these little wretches. If the parents object, they too should be charged, because they brought up their children to disrespect authority.
As a former student of Immaculate who was expelled for indiscipline when I could not complete homework because of a difficult family situation, I cannot imagine a deliberate act such as this going unpunished or with a slap on the wrist.
STILL THE SCHOOL OF CHOICE
In spite of my misfortune, Immaculate was still the school of choice for my three daughters because of the emphasis on discipline. My cooperation with the principal's decision to prevent my daughter, an A student, from sitting a chemistry exam when she failed to meet the standard set by the school by two points has been well rewarded by her taking her education seriously enough to get into a prestigious vet school.
The reason given by the principal was that my daughter did not do her best and if she was allowed to sit the exam, she would not learn the life lesson that, only her best was good enough.
There are life lessons of respect for authority, and for life and property, for these students to learn from this incident, and the school, the Ministry of Education and the Juvenile Courts should not miss the opportunity to see to it that those lessons are taught.
If there is ever a case for 'justice, truth' and 'true respect' to triumph in our country, this is it.
We can no longer afford the abuse of our teachers any more than we can afford for our teachers to be abusive.
I am, etc.,
YVONNE O. COKE
handsacrossjamaica@hotmail.com
Half-Way Tree Road
Kingston 5
Via Go-Jamaica
