( L - R ) Sutherland, MacMillan

THE NATIONAL Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ) wants clarification on the school dismissal alert programme, given that cellphones are banned from some schools.

The school dismissal alert programme was announced during an address to the nation Sunday night by National Security Minister Colonel Trevor MacMillan. The programme will allow the three telecommunications companies - Digicel, Claro and LIME - to communicate important information to parents and students in the critical period between the dismissal of schools and their arrival home.

The aim, MacMillan said, would be to encourage action by parents and guardians to establish the whereabouts of their children and to maintain vigilance until they got home safely.

Cellphone ban

However, Miranda Sutherland, president of the NPTAJ, pointed out that the Ministry of Education had banned cellphone usage during school time and some schools had gone even further and banned cellphones from school.

"So this initiative will pose a problem and we are calling for further discussion on this matter, because there is a NPTAJ body and we have not been contacted," Sutherland told The Gleaner yesterday.

Reacting to another of the national security minister's announcements, Sutherland said school patrols were important.

School patrols

MacMillan had said police personnel from the Community Safety and Security Branch had been on the road, visiting schools and giving out safety tips. Additionally, he said district constables were being recruited and trained and would be assigned to schools and patrol zones around the schools. He also stated that school resource officers were being deployed in institutions across the island.

Sutherland suggested the district constables man the bus stations and wear specially designed vests so they could be easily identified.

The new initiative is in light of the growing trend of abductions and killings of the nation's children.

MacMillan promised to announce further details of his initiative during his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate this week.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com