John Gray High School administrators are set to roll out a social media campaign as part of an action plan to address bullying at the George Town school, following last week’s violent incident involving students.
Two male students were bailed after the incident, as police launched an assault causing actual bodily harm investigation.
The incident with the students occurred around 8:30am on 13 Sept., and a video of the attack was circulated on social media.
It showed a boy being ambushed by two others at the school’s gym locker room. The assailants punched the victim and then kicked him in the head when he fell down, as other students watched and jeered.
There were unconfirmed reports of another clash Friday involving a male and female student.
On Friday, a team of Ministry of Education and Department of Education Services officials attended a staff briefing at the school, where Principal Jon Clarke shared the action plan for dealing with bullying.
Department of Education Services Director Mark Ray, in a video message following that meeting, said the DES is taking the community’s concerns over the recent incidents seriously.
He said the team attended the John Gray briefing to support the staff and “reinforce a message that I believe wholeheartedly these recent incidents do not define John Gray High School”.
The school, he said, consists of caring dedicated staff and wonderful students.
“During the briefing we reminded the staff of the resources available to them including the employee assistance programme support,” Ray said.
In the coming days, he said student leaders at John Gray will share “essential messages on unity, responsibility and collaboration in addressing regulating behaviors and bullying.
“These messages will be featured on the school’s social media pages and shared across education platforms. We’re also committed to increasing our collaboration with the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and other stakeholders to create a school environment where every staff member and student feel safe supported and valued,” Ray added.
He said with the “unwavering dedication” of staff, the support of parents and other community stakeholders and the voices of students, that goal can be a reality and the DES is committed to that.
Ray added that a united effort is necessary to help local students.
“The calls for collaboration and support are not limited to John Gray High School, but indeed every government and private school in the Cayman Islands they are all our children and the country’s future,” he added.
The Education team, led by Lyneth Monteith, the acting chief officer of the MOE, included HR Director Kimari Fletcher-Barrett, and Senior School Improvement Officer Richard Wildman.
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