School decides on accused students' fate tomorrow Denise Clarke, staff reporter
WESTERN BUREAU - Seven male students at the Knockalva Agricultural School in Ramble, Hanover, who allegedly attacked and beat another male student early Friday morning, will tomorrow know their fate at the institution. A meeting is scheduled between the school board, the boys' parents and officials from the Ministry of Education to decide the boys' future. Seventeen-year-old Dwight Atkinson received injuries to his face and hands, when seven of his schoolmates attacked him with sticks, machetes, and pieces of iron early on Friday. Initial reports from school officials are that at about 3 a.m., the boys were awakened by a fire in one of their dormitories. One boy claimed to have seen Dwight outside the dormitory, with a small bottle of gasolene near him when the fire started. However, Principal Owen Henry told The Sunday Gleaner that his investigations revealed that although Dwight was in fact near the dormitory, none of the boys actually saw him with the gasolene. "He (Atkinson) explained that he had been studying with two of his schoolmates and was on his way back to his dorm when the fire started," Mr. Henry said. He added that the students confirmed that Dwight Atkinson was studying with them until early in the morning. He also explained that the dormitories are usually locked at about 10:30 p.m., but that the boys had been allowed extra time to study for their exams. However, Dwight's mother, Vinnetta Reid, said the attack on her son could have been avoided if school officials had heeded earlier pleas by the school's Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to place security guards on the premises. The attack, she said, might be related to an incident last year, in which the dormitory where her son was staying was set ablaze by other students. She said the students thought that her son had set fire to their dorm on Friday in retaliation to the previous incident. Ignoring incidents However, Mr. Henry said last year's fire was not deliberately set by the students. "They were fooling around with the electrical wires and it caught fire," he said. "Apparently some of his (Atkinson's) clothes were nearby and it was burnt ...I don't think it was deliberate." Mrs. Reid also accused the school of ignoring several incidents that have occurred between students from time to time, some of which have resulted in violence. She said the school, which is located one mile from the main road, is also too easily accessible to outsiders. The Sunday Gleaner visited the school on Friday and gained easy access to the property. The school is the only building located on a one-mile stretch, and there are no security guards employed there. A reporter visited the male dormitories and was there for about 30 minutes before a school official was made aware that an intruder was on the property. Mr. Henry admitted that more security is needed at the institution and said several measures will be put in place to increase security. These include the hiring of security guards and the installation of fencing. All 186 students enrolled at the co-educational school are boarded on the premises.
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