St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown transfer case being heard at the High Court
After a break of approximately a year and a half, hearing continued yesterday in the case in which a parent has brought legal action against education officials after her child was transferred in 2013, from the St Josephâs Convent Kingstown (SJCK) to the Emmanuel High School Mesopotamia (EHSM).{{more}}
The case is being heard at the High Court in Kingstown before Justice Pearletta Lanns.
The childâs mother, who is the claimant, is represented by attorney Jomo Thomas, while attorney general Judith Jones Morgan represents the Ministry of Education, chief education officer Lou-Anne Gilchrist, principal of the SJCK Calma Balcombe and senior education officer with responsibility for secondary schools Asfo Stephens, who have all been named as defendants. The Attorney General is being assisted by lawyers Kezron Walters, Jelani Williams, Isis Gonsalves and Serefa Harper.
Attorneys Duane Daniel and Rochelle Forde are appearing for the Cluny Board of Management, which also has been named as a defendant in the matter. The Cluny Board is a Roman Catholic organization under whose aegis the SJCK is operated.
When the case last came up for hearing on October 7, 2013, Justice Gertel Thom set aside an earlier interim injuction of Justice Frederick Bruce-Lyle and ordered that the child attend the EHSM until the final determination of the substantive matter. Justice Bruce-Lyle had earlier ordered that the child be reinstated at the SJCK.
Education officials say the child was transferred for disrespectful behavior, however the childâs mother said she was never informed that her child had been transferred, and sought the courtâs help in having her child reinstated at the SJCK.
Although the court ordered that the child at the centre of the case attend the EHSM, SEARCHLIGHT understands that the teenager never turned up for classes there, but instead attends another co-educational institution in Kingstown, where she is said to be in the fifth form.
Up to press time yesterday, only one witness, the childâs mother, had taken the witness stand.
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