The investigation into allegations that St James High School Principal Joseph Williams expelled two female students without due process in January continues, with the school's board of management receiving numerous reports from parents alleging similar instances of undue expulsion of their children. Christopher McCurdy, chairman of the school board, acknowledged additional reports while updating on the progress made by the board's personnel committee in investigating the claims.

More undue expulsions

St James High chairman says board concerned, reviewing reports of other students allegedly expelled without due process

Jamaica Gleaner/10 May 2024/Christopher Thomas

AS INVESTIGATIONS continue into reports that St James High School Principal Joseph Williams expelled two female students in January this year without following due process, the school’s board of management says it has received several reports from parents of other students alleging similar instances of their children being unduly banished.

Christopher McCurdy, the chairman of the school board, while speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, acknowledged other reports had been received. He was updating on the progress made by the board’s personnel committee in its investigations into the claims from the two female students’ parents.

The two girls, ages 15 and 16, were reportedly expelled after being seen in a WhatsApp status video kissing each other.

When asked if it was ever brought to his attention about a similar situation that reportedly happened around June last year, McCurdy said that, “There have been several other matters that have been coming up since this one came out to the public. There are other parents who have reached out to me with similar concerns.

“It is a concern to the board, and that is why the board is taking its time to make sure we cover the bases,” said McCurdy.

That admission may serve as vindication for Maria (real name withheld), who claimed to

The Gleaner that Williams expelled her own 17-year-old daughter from St James High last year without any justification or proper due process. She said she was motivated to come forward after seeing media reports about the expulsion of the two girls.

‘NOT LYING’

“When I saw the story on the blog, I said, ‘Oh my God, it happened to me with my daughter’, and I cried so much, and I laid down and cried so much. The lady is not lying, because it happened to me,” said Maria, referencing Alicia R., the mother of the 16-year-old girl whose story came to national attention in The Sunday Gleaner’s April 21 publication.

“Mr Williams never gave me a written letter, he never sat me down and called me, or said to my daughter ‘call your mother to come up here’, because I would be the first one to go up there to know what is going on. He never said anything to me, no letter,” Maria continued.

The Gleaner also spoke to Maria’s 17-yearold daughter, who is currently attending another school but is still bewildered as to why Williams would want her to be dismissed from St James High.

“The day he (Williams) kicked me out, school was in progress, in about February. My mother had to run up and down the whole of June, going straight back to July to find another school,” the teen recounted. “I was feeling useless, worthless, like there was nothing anybody could do to make me happy. I felt dead, like a literal dead girl walking, no emotion, nothing. I cried from time to time but, other than that, it was just blank, like my life was a piece of white paper with nothing on it.”

The personnel committee of St James High School was commissioned two weeks ago to conduct an investigation into the accusations made against Williams by the relatives of the two girls in the alleged video.

It is understood that, since their expulsion, the 15-year-old girl continues to be out of school, while the 16-year-old has been enrolled at a private institution.

Advocacy group Jamaicans for Justice has reached out to both families to offer support.

Additionally, it has been reported that another student was expelled from St James High in March this year because of unrelated circumstances. That matter had not been brought to the board’s attention.

In the meantime, concerning the investigation into the alleged expulsion over the video of the two girls, McCurdy stated that there is no further update to be provided at this time, as the matter is still being reviewed.

“You would appreciate that, when we are investigating these matters, we try as best as possible to limit the amount of information we put to the public, because it could possibly jeopardise the investigation. So we try not to divulge much,” McCurdy shared.

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