Police statement on the incident at Houston Secondary School:
*Parent, teacher involved in Houston Secondary incident assisting Police with ongoing investigation*
Police are probing an incident which occurred yesterday (Thursday, March 23, 2023) at about 10:30hrs at the Houston Secondary School involving a teacher, 43-year-old Kimone Gentle and a parent, 43-year-old Keola Stanton of Grove Housing Scheme, EBD, and her 17-year-old son who is a fifth form student of the said school.
According to the 43-year-old teacher, at about 10:30hrs on the said date, she was sitting in an office when the 43-year-old parent and her 17-year-old son entered the school.
The teacher reportedly approached the woman and enquired about her relationship with the student, when the woman allegedly responded in a loud tone saying, “I am his Mother.” The teacher asked the parent to lower her voice since exams were ongoing in the various classrooms, to which the parent responded, saying: “All ayo teachers got a problem with meh child and I gon teach you something today”.
The teacher further alleged that the parent took out her phone, approached and began videoing her.
The teacher asked the parent twice to remove the phone from her face, which she ignored and continued to video while allegedly behaving aggressively towards the teacher. The parent’s hand hit the teacher’s reading glasses, which fell to the ground.
According to the 43-year-old parent, on the said date, she went to the school, along with her son, to meet with the school’s HM concerning an incident her son was involved in.
The woman stated that upon entering the school, she met Ms Gentle and told her the purpose of her visit.
The woman further claimed that while waiting to see the HM, the 43-year-old teacher enquired about her relationship with the student and told the teacher that she was the student’s mother. The parent said the teacher began complaining about her son’s attitude and conduct in school.
The parent claimed that she replied to Ms. Gentle by saying: “All ayo advantaging my son”, when it is alleged that the teacher abused her with a series of expletives.
The woman further told police she then pulled out her cell phone and began recording the teacher’s conduct towards her, during which the teacher approached her and hit the phone out of her hands, causing it to be damaged.
As a result, an argument ensued between the parent and the teacher, which turned into a scuffle.
During the scuffle, the teacher allegedly picked up a chair and dealt the parent several lashes about her body, causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground, receiving injuries to her body.
The 17-year-old male student, upon seeing such, reportedly went to his mother’s aid when he was also allegedly assaulted by the teacher.
Other teachers parted the commotion, and the school’s security escorted the parent and her son out of the compound. The teacher armed herself with a cutlass and charged behind the parent and her son but was calmed by other school teachers.
After the ordeal, the teacher and parent were arrested and taken to the Ruimveldt Police Station.
They were both subsequently released, to return today.
Further investigations are ongoing.
