Classes at Grange Hill Primary dismissed following threats

Classes at the Grange Hill Primary School in Westmoreland were forced to end earlier than expected on Tuesday, after administrators were told armed men are going to "shoot up" the school. 

Clayton Smith, principal of the 100-year-old institution, said parents came in rushing to collect their children out of fear for the worst. 

“The words that I got were that they were going to shoot up Grange Hill Primary School. I am not certain why that may be the case,” Smith told The STAR.

Further, he noted that only 24 of the approximately 800 student population were left at school at the time of dismissal.

“We saw a rush of parents as evidence of the threat was sent, not to us at school but to parents, and by the time we got settled, parents were coming to take their children,” the principal explained. 

Trevine Donaldson-Lawrence, vice-principal of the school, says the decision to close came after discussions with the police, the Ministry of Education and Youth, staff and parents. 

“We are closed too, but based on the ground, the police said there was no immediate threat to our school, but because we have students, teachers and other staff coming from different areas of the community, so in the best interest of all our stakeholders, we have dismissed classes for today,” Donaldson-Lawrence told The STAR.

The volatile community of Grange Hill in Westmoreland has been under a murderous siege as five men have been killed in the escalating gang feud between the infamous King Valley Gang and the emerging Ants Posse Gang, who, seemingly, are locked in battle for the spoils of criminal activities.

On the heels of those activities, the security forces have increased their presence in the area as part of their efforts to quell the lawlessness and restore order to the community.

- Albert Ferguson 

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