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Following the stabbing death of a student at Jamaica College (JC) on Monday, president of the National Parent-Teacher Association, Sylvester Anderson, believes the Government should look at allowing school administrators to search students at public high schools.
"The Government should revisit that policy and, where necessary, make the changes. It (searching) can be one way of reducing weapons that enter schools," Mr. Anderson told The Gleaner yesterday.
He described the incident as unfortunate and believes the policy change, combined with behavioural change programmes, will stem the issue of school violence.
Currently, only school resource officers who are part of the Safe Schools Programme, as well as other personnel, are allowed to search students on school compounds.
Alphansus Davis, head of a committee looking at safety and security in schools, says suggestions have been made to that effect.
Measures needed
"From consultations we had so far with teachers, parents and students, they are of the view that teachers should have the powers to search and, if teachers don't have the powers to search, then devices should be placed at the entrances of schools to detect weapons entering the school."
Mr. Davis, who is expected to send the findings of the committee's work to the Minister of Education in three weeks, said the incident is an isolated one as JC has made strides in the area of security.
Meanwhile, JC principal Ruel Reid assured that despite the incident, the school remained safe for students.
"There is no lapse on behalf of Jamaica College ...," Mr. Reid said, noting that no school in the country was able to search every student entering the facility.
"They have to have security personnel doing that, and you think how practical it is based on how schools are structured currently to process every person, you would have to have a system as they have at the airport, that everybody entering would have to go through a particular area."
The JC community is still coming to grips with the death of 17-year-old Martiman Golding. When The Gleaner visited the school about 11:15 a.m. yesterday, students could be seen milling about the campus as school was to be closed at midday.
Mr. Reid said assembly yesterday morning was used to counsel the students.
"The Government should revisit that policy and, where necessary, make the changes. It (searching) can be one way of reducing weapons that enter schools," Mr. Anderson told The Gleaner yesterday.
He described the incident as unfortunate and believes the policy change, combined with behavioural change programmes, will stem the issue of school violence.
Currently, only school resource officers who are part of the Safe Schools Programme, as well as other personnel, are allowed to search students on school compounds.
Alphansus Davis, head of a committee looking at safety and security in schools, says suggestions have been made to that effect.
Measures needed
"From consultations we had so far with teachers, parents and students, they are of the view that teachers should have the powers to search and, if teachers don't have the powers to search, then devices should be placed at the entrances of schools to detect weapons entering the school."
Mr. Davis, who is expected to send the findings of the committee's work to the Minister of Education in three weeks, said the incident is an isolated one as JC has made strides in the area of security.
Meanwhile, JC principal Ruel Reid assured that despite the incident, the school remained safe for students.
"There is no lapse on behalf of Jamaica College ...," Mr. Reid said, noting that no school in the country was able to search every student entering the facility.
"They have to have security personnel doing that, and you think how practical it is based on how schools are structured currently to process every person, you would have to have a system as they have at the airport, that everybody entering would have to go through a particular area."
The JC community is still coming to grips with the death of 17-year-old Martiman Golding. When The Gleaner visited the school about 11:15 a.m. yesterday, students could be seen milling about the campus as school was to be closed at midday.
Mr. Reid said assembly yesterday morning was used to counsel the students.
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