Escalating school violence leads to closure of Mona High

Ongoing violence among students of several Corporate Area schools has forced the closure of Mona High School in St Andrew for today and Friday.

This major development was disclosed in a circular obtained by our news team this morning.

It's understood that the violence escalated following an incident on Monday in Half-Way Tree in St Andrew.

The police say reinforcement will be put in place in and around the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre to monitor the movement of students.

Commander of the St Andrew Central police division, in which the transportation hub is located, Senior Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth, said that additional police will be deployed there.

SSP Nesbeth said the police are in dialogue with some of the institutions and expect these discussions to continue.

In a video obtained by The Gleaner, students are seen involved in a brawl which spilled on to the roadway.

There were reports of serious injuries.

The notice, by Mona High School, signed by principal Keven Jones, says "We value the lives of our children and we do not wish for any harm to come to them. We are in contact with the police and we will continue to monitor the situation."

The school apologised for any inconvenience and told stakeholders to stand by for developments.

The Ministry of Education has reportedly intervened. 

- Andre Williams

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