Special school needs special help

Horace Fisher, Gleaner Writer

DENBIGH, Clarendon:

THE WINDSOR Special School of Education has a special need of its own. The six-classroom facility is overcrowded and in desperate need for additional spaces to accommodate the 83 intellectually impaired students enrolled at the Denbigh Road institution.

According to vice-principal Marva Hamilton-Powell, the institution has been turning away a number of intellectually impaired students from the only education institution in the parish that is geared towards their special needs, because of a lack of adequate space.

"We cannot take any more students. We are already overcrowded here, the teacher-student ratio for special-needs students are eight per class, and we have up to 15 students in some classrooms here," explained Hamilton-Powell.

Windsor School of Special Education caters exclusively to intellectually impaired students, ages 6-18 and in some cases up to 20 years old, it is the only one of its kind in Clarendon and the students population stretches as far away as Frankfield, Vere, Mocho, and Old Harbour, in St Catherine. It is partly funded by the Ministry of Education.

"We only have six classrooms here at Windsor, which would suggest that our student population is supposed to be only 48 special need students at any given time, that is, eight per class, but the institution's student population is currently hovering around 83 students," Hamilton-Powell told The Gleaner.

She disclosed that the school has a plot of land at Chapelton Road, in May Pen, that they hope to build a more spacious school on, but squatters have settled on the property and refuse to vacate.

"We have been trying for the last 10 years to break ground to build a new school at our Chapelton Road property, but as I speak, squatters have taken over the land and regardless of the notices we send them to vacate the property, they just won't budge," bemoaned Hamilton-Powell.

Wendy O'Connor, a teacher at the institution, lamented the inadequacies at Windsor, but highlighted the relative success of the institution's students at special Olympics.

"Windsor has had some success at Special Olympics. Kids here at Windsor are always selected to represent Jamaica and from time to time win medals at these international games," said O'Connor.

rural@gleanerjm.com