By VENUS HONORE-GOPIE Saturday, November 21 2009

Suspension letters were given to about 13 students of both the El Dorado East and West Secondary schools yesterday at the Ministry of Education, St George East district.

Students of both schools, along with their parents, met with the Ministry’s, chief executive officer, Peter O’ Neil, school officials and schools’ district supervisors in the wake of a violent clash between students from both schools on Tuesday.

Several parents left the compound of the ministry extremely upset with the ministry and school officials who they claimed had victimised their children in the incident.

The parents from both schools admitted that although their children received suspension letters previously they were selected for being the culprits when they are not.

Sherry-ann Durant said she believed that there were more children in the incident for which her son was blamed.

She said her son, Rick Sanchez who attends El Do West just came out of an anger management programme and thought it was time to obtain a transfer since another suspension letter may well be an expulsion from the school for him. “Furthermore, I am going to take him out of the school, because I am fed up.”

Another parent whose son was suspended for an incident last year at El Do East believes school officials had wrongly identified him for being part of the incident, since some of his classmates were questioning his receipt of the suspension letter.

The students have received suspension letters for seven days, and are expected to return to school on November 27.

Meanwhile, some parents have decided to take legal action against the ministry for wrongly identifying their children in the incident, while some have decided to send their children to extra lessons, or oversee their studies at home.

A senior official from the ministry yesterday said some of the parents who were expected at the education district did not show up with their children but, overall there was a good attendance by parents and students from both schools.

According to the official the parents were given an option for children who were suspended to attend a particular centre at Malick, Barataria which deals with anger management, conflict resolution and behaviour as part of the programme, which they showed interest. The official explained that there were some issues that may have been brewing from the past and may have not been investigated properly. It was not simply an isolated one.

According to the official not every incident was an isolated incident and the ministry was in no way of victimising a repeat offender.

The schools are left with identifying from their investigations the official said, to convince themselves through sufficient evidence that a particular student was part of the incident although the students may tell their parents something else.

The official said the ministry was still conducting investigations, and had started correcting the breach by having more security officers at El Do West, and installation of random scanners at both schools will be done.

There will also be a difference in the start and dismissal times at both schools which is expected to start hopefully by next week.

The official assured Newsday that there was no indication “of gangs and any gang warfare operations” at the schools as described in media reports, and in the minds of some persons which the ministry wanted to correct.

The Education Facilites Company Limited (EFCL) started mobilising work at both schools yesterday and will be installing a wire wall fence at both schools to prevent any entry into the schools’ compound from today.