The 14-year-old schoolgirl who was banned from classes for the past three months is now back in school following the intervention of the Ministry of Education.
Last Sunday, The Sunday Gleaner broke the story of the teenager who was neither suspended nor expelled from the downtown Kingston-based school, but was banned from classes because she was deemed a danger to herself, her classmates and her teachers.
The child’s mother, Joyette Shakes*, had claimed that her daughter was told not to return to the school last December, following an incident involving her and a female teacher, which resulted in the teacher being injured.
“It would have been better if they did tell me to look a school and put her, but they never told me that. They never told me that they were suspending her or anything. So I don’t know. I am just waiting to see what they are doing.
“She is set back a whole lot, because she keeps asking me, ‘Mommy, when am I going to go back to school?’ and it makes me very upset because she shouldn’t be out of school now,” said an obviously distraught Shakes.
But last Wednesday, it was a different Shakes as she beamed with joy after taking her child to school for the first time in three months.
Shakes said preparation for a return to school started last Monday when she was told to ready the teenager’s uniform.
“I am very glad that she gets to go back to school because she was really missing out on everything and it was very worrying. She only has seizures and misbehaves when she gets excited. Other than that, she is a very bright child,” said the mother of seven.
STUDENT WILL BE MONITORED
In the meantime, the education ministry told our news team that its Special Education Unit assigned a ‘shadow’ to be with the child.
“The shadow’s main duties include monitoring the student in the school environment for the purpose of maintaining a safe and positive learning environment for all,” said Byron Buckley, director of corporate communication at the education ministry.
He said the shadow would assist the student and teachers with behaviour management and seizure therapy.
According to Buckley, the decision was finalised in a meeting with the special needs coordinator and a clinical psychologist from the Regional Assessment Team, as well as the principal and staff at the child’s school.
Buckley defended the ministry when questioned why the child had to be out of school for three months before a shadow was assigned.
“In this case, we actually had identified and started training somebody, but at the last minute they dropped out.”
Buckley said that teachers and administrators at the school had pledged their support to work with the child.
* Name changed on request.
Happy she back in school
Happy she back inna school
Calabar junior high student and she’s problematic already??? No man serious intervention is needed!
Glad she back in school more than leff to di other alternative. God pray she get continuous help and not juss ah shawt term ting then them figget bout har…Wonderful things can happen if someone juss believe an guide har inna di right direction.
Mental illness is rampant and very real and prevalent in today’s society.Jamaicans on a whole are blind to it.When a child is acting out or an adult is displaying signs or having an episode it is deemed that the child “bad ” and is shunned unless the mother or family is open to such knowledge and can say that something is wrong.It is called mad or crazy.Not everybody is mad or crazy.Some of the most intelligent people have mental disorders that if addressed they can still be productive individuals.
As a child growing up in ja you pass Bellview and you see these some of these people just looking through gates.They are just removed from society and that’s it,some of them just need a little extra care.
Glad this child got some intervention and family members are supporting her and open to thinking out of the box.Jamaicans have always dealt with this issue as if it doesnt exist.Children or even adults are often abandoned or put out when they dont act like how the family thinks they should act.We need to stop this ancient idiology.Really hope this issue is placed on the floor of parliament.
Mental illness is real.There is a thin line between sane and insane.Anyone can cross that line at anytime.
Glad to see your comment, I was thinking along the same lines
I acted out too in school and around ppl, but it was because I was living in a home where domestic violence was rife, and I had to keep it a secret while pretending we were one big happy family. Eventually that spilled out in negative ways. In those days there were no trained specialist to identify these behaviours, dem just labeled you bad or problematic. Dat child going through summen, I don’t presume to know her story, but she has one.
Serious intervention is being provided @G and she is clearly ill, read it the whole thing nd not piece by piece. This is actually great its good to know somebody apart from her mother cares, we need more of this kinna work going on this year.
The shadow soon disappear once light shine on the shortage of funds to continue this wonderful initative.
Money waste on replacement vehicle could have been sourced to program expenses-long term.
Is true and i applaud the persons who are showing care to her especially accepting her back into the school program for it wouldn’t b fair for any 14yr old to be left behind accademically bcuz of an illness.3