Cornwall College dean, student attacked by angry group

Classes ended prematurely at Cornwall College in Montego Bay, St James, yesterday following an incident where a student and the dean of discipline were attacked and assaulted by a group of men, including a parent.

Following the incident, representatives from the Education Ministry, school board, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and the Freeport police travelled to the institution, where an emergency meeting was held with the principal and members of the administrative staff.

THE STAR visited the institution immediately following the incident and spoke to Dr Garfield Campbell, president of the PTA.

"There was an incident between two students at the school this morning and the parent of one of the students came by the institution and assaulted the other boy," said Campbell.

"The dean of discipline intervened, and he, too, was attacked and assaulted by the parent."

Campbell said that a group of men who came with the parent joined in, and they physically assaulted both the dean and the other student, before leaving in a motor car.

"An incident of this nature is strongly condemned by the PTA," Campbell said. "As a result of the incident we will be having an immediate meeting with the parents tomorrow (today)."

Campbell mentioned a recent similar attack which was carried out against the school's principal, Michael Ellis, last year, and stated that security will now be enhanced at the institution.

"At present, because of the busy corridor outside the school compound, parents are allowed to freely drive on to the school compound to pick up and drop off students," he said. "This system will now have to be reviewed, no doubt, to ensure the safety of the school community."

One police source told THE STAR that the school has facilitated them with all the data on the parent, and they are now on the verge of making contact with him.

"We have got personal information on the student involved from the school, and we are now in the process of contacting the parent involved, and hope he can facilitate us with information on the other persons involved," the source said. "The police have been informed that the boy was boxed several times in his face, and so, too, was a security guard who also intervened. The dean of discipline also intervened, and he, too, was assaulted."