The Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) of the Montrose Vedic Primary School is considering suing the State over its failure to address health and safety concerns at the school or relocate it.
In July, the school’s PTA filed a judicial review lawsuit against the Ministry of Education over its refusal to disclose the results of tests on the school’s compound, which were ordered by the ministry after issues arose almost five years ago.
The PTA was granted leave to pursue the lawsuit but was given some of the requested documents during discussions with the ministry, last month.
During a hearing of the PTA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit before Justice Margaret Mohammed at the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain, yesterday morning, the ministry lawyers claimed that it was still trying to locate the remaining documents.
In an interview with Guardian Media, yesterday afternoon, PTA vice-president Joanna Duncan claimed that during the discussions, last month, the PTA was informed that State land in Petersfield, Chagaunas, which was allegedly earmarked for the school to be relocated, was yet to be conveyed to the school.
“We want them to either build a new school or make us comfortable where we are,” Duncan said.
She claimed that while complaints from teachers and students had decreased, there were still some occasional reports depending on weather conditions.
Duncan said that the PTA was considering filing a separate lawsuit seeking to compel the ministry to take action on the issue.
In its existing judicial review application, the PTA is contending that the ministry acted unreasonably when it failed to respond to its FOIA request.
Through the lawsuit, the PTA is seeking a declaration that it was entitled to access the documents and an order compelling the disclosure.
The health and safety concerns at the school, located along Eleanor Road in Chaguanas, arose in 2014 after students and teachers began complaining of suffering bites and rashes, which at the time they believed was caused by an unknown microscopic parasite.
In February 2016, the situation worsened and students were forced to stay away from school for three months. The principal of the school wrote the ministry to address the problem and a public meeting was held to discuss the possibility of relocating the students.
Air quality tests were performed by the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) and the PTA instituted interim measures including paying to fumigate the compound and assisting in introducing a temporary shift system for students.
The PTA then spent the next two years attempting to contact the ministry for a status update on the situation before the ministry intervened again, late last year.
In February, the ministry’s officials visited the school and informed stakeholders that it would have to be relocated as the compound was no longer conducive to education.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing in March, Communications Minister Stuart Young revealed that Cabinet had agreed to set aside 1.384 hectares of land to facilitate the relocation.
The PTA is being represented by Richard Jaggasar.