Corporal punishment in schools - it was a hot button issue some months ago - but it has come crashing home at Sadie Vernon high where a 15 year old student says he was punched by his English teacher - a female. Monica Bodden has been following up on the story:….
Monica Bodden Reporting
Hector McCoy -a parent of a first form student of Sadie Vernon High School - told us today that his child came home - alleging that an English Teacher of the school punched him in the back. According to the parent, it hasn't been the first complaint from his son -and so he decided to go see the principal.
Hector McCoy - Parent
"When he came home he told me 'dad, the teacher stomp me down' so I ask what is the situation? I told him that I will let that pass by because i don't know what is happening at school and I don't like to o to school for the kids if I don't have to. A couple of weeks he came back and tell me 'dad, the teacher punches me in my back' I ask for what again? he said that he had a rag in his pocket and a boy grab the rag from his pocket and the teacher grab the rag from two of them and he
told the teacher if he can please get the rag back. The teacher tell him that he will not give him the rag and he then punch my son in his back and told my son to get out of his face and get in the class. So that's why i went to the school to see the principal."
McCoy said he met with the teacher in a meeting which was convened by the principal yesterday. Instead of resolving the issue- he claims he was blatantly disrespected by the teacher - culminating when she walked out of the meeting.
Hector McCoy - Parent
"The teacher was very disrespectful she even insult me in the class while we were talking. She told me that she doesn't want anything to do with and that she doesn't have to teach my child anymore. I mean to be a teacher - that is ignorant, so I explain to her that I don't send my child here to be a boxer nor to be a karate man, I send my child here to learn and if you are teaching the child in that way, what will happen? That's why the children are becoming violent on the streets because you all are teaching them to do it. She didn't talk much, she us just ignorant teacher. We were talking for like 5 minutes and I was explaining to her my situation and she want to tell me like what my son did. I told her, teacher let me explain myself the situation that i came here for, she don't want to hear my part, she just wants to tell me her part and because I told her that she is acting childish - let us understand each other. She got up and tell me that if this is the way you want it I don't want to have any dealings with you nor your child. That was very disrespectful."
Monica Bodden
"And then she walk out?"
Hector McCoy - Parent
"She walks out the meeting that we had."
This father plans to take the matter to the Minister of Education, Honorable Patrick Faber.
Hector McCoy - Parent
"So I say that I will take it further to the Minister of Education and I am going there. I call the police department and I spoke to them and they told me that i can give a statement and have her arrested but I don't want to go through that until I am finish with the Minister then I will deal with it."
Monica Bodden
"Any point she admit to hitting your child?"
Hector McCoy - Parent
"She did say it."
George Fraser - Executive Secretary of the Belize National Teachers Union - explained what the Education Training act states about corporal punishment.
George Fraser - Executive Secretary, BNTU
"The education rules - rule 141 from the education handbook from 2000 tell you that only the principal or a senior person appointed or authorize could punish and that was only for very serious and reported thing. Not any small things like coming late and they whip you, you start to fight and they whip you, no. We understand there are forms of discipline, now it has been taken off the books now, nobody not even the principals could punish or apply corporal punish whether its is whip, pinch or whatever. But because we cannot leave a vacuum, the teachers are in a mix right now. What will i do I cannot whip the children, they are still misbehave and some of them really do outrageous things but we don't the ministry that they need some alternative forms of discipline like counseling, meet the parents but that don't happen overnight so the minister appointed a task force, they met for some months, I understand they have submitted some report - we have not seen that. It has not been officially release but yes teachers can be brought to their managers because the handbook is telling you in here that the managing authority will be responsible for the discipline of teachers. It's in the news act now section 32. It says disciplinary action by managing authority; teachers shall be subject to disciplinary action by the managing authority or its delegate as the case may be and it accordance with the act and rule. But long and short, teachers should not punish in any way, say to touch, to hit, to pinch, to whip as we call it because you are liable to disciplinary measure by your manager or some parents take it further to go to the courts."
We tried contacting District Manager - Jamor Lopez- at the District Education Center for comments but we were told he was out of office today.
