fp Turks and Caicos

In early December an incident that occurred at the Clement Howell High School brought to light the issue of safety for the students. Missick, along with senior ministry officials, principals, and representatives from the Turks and Caicos Islands Royal Police Force, met with the parents of children who attend Providenciales schools in order to discuss the security measures being implemented, as well as the plans to separate children with specific behavioral issues from the general student body.

Missick reinforced her stance on the zero tolerance policy, emphasizing that the school environment is to be one of learning, rules, and regulations. With regards to the students or school aged children with disciplinary issues Missick spoke on provisions made under section 34 of the Education Ordinance which provide for the disciplining of students who continually break the rules. “It cannot be the policy that the life of the many is being threatened by a few,” said Missick.

According to Missick, the government’s priority is the establishment of a facility that will accommodate those children that are removed from the school system due to gross misconduct. She noted that the government is aware of its responsibility to ensure that access to learning is available to all school aged children, but also notes that this can occur at various types of institutions.

The TCIRPF were on hand to reiterate their continued support to Clement Howell and announced that a community liaison officer will remain at the school for the rest of the term as they put in place other security measures. For now they have implemented strict times for clearing the school compound in order to avoid loitering and the possibility of other destructive activities. They have also asked parents to aid the cause by being more active in their children’s school lives by picking them up on time, reinforcing the learning environment at home, and reporting any potentially dangerous behavior.

The Turks and Caicos Cabinet, chaired by His Excellency Governor Ric Todd, addressed a number of issues at their meeting at the House of Assembly Building on Grand Turk on Jan. 24. The Cabinet covered a range of issues from finance to education during their meeting and the results show significant development and several proposed plans to address pressing concerns.