Parents want principal removed from school

Classes at the Seaview Gardens Primary School in St Andrew were disrupted yesterday as parents and residents of the community staged a protest calling for the removal of the school's principal, Sangieanna Briscoe.

According to the irate parents, who congregated at the school's entrance, they want Briscoe removed because of what they consider her poor management of the institution, which they say is negatively impacting the students, who are underperforming.

"She afi guh dung todeh, todeh.... she afi leave. She cah stay," one disgruntled parent, whose son has been attending the school for five years, told THE STAR. "Wi tired a har... look how she a deal with the school. Look how the place dutty. Not even good food wi pickney dem a get. Mi son afi a spend di whole day hungry, because when him buy dem food, it stink...smell like a down a Riverton."

When THE STAR visited the school shortly after 9 a.m., more than 50 parents and other residents were seen milling around the school gate. However, the principal was said to be locked away in the staff room in a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Education and Youth. Some of the parents were adamant that regardless of the meeting's outcome, Briscoe has to go.

"Nuh school nah keep," said an angry group of parents in unison. "If she nuh leave wi aguh block it off every day, and nuh school nah keep." Like the angry parents, some residents of Seaview Gardens, many of whom say they are past students, also want the principal removed.

"The principal is the problem... I am a past student...we don't want our kids to attend the school because the facility is running right down. Look around, nothing is developed. The staff not getting paid or nothing at all. It makes no sense," said the past student, who showed the news team piles of garbage and urine-stench bathrooms.

Efforts to get a comment from Briscoe did not materialise, as when the news team left the location, the meeting with the ministry officials was still going on.