QC students disciplined following rescinding of previous penalty
The students who were found guilty of imbibing alcoholic beverages at Queen's College's (QC) annual Christmas party last December have been disciplined through prescribed procedures. This new penalty phase comes in the wake of previous disciplinary action that was rescinded. Disciplinary action taken in January following investigations by the school's administration had been rescinded by Chief Education Officer, Ed Caesar, on the grounds that procedurally it was incorrect. The initial disciplinary decision was revoked after some parents, dissatisfied with the procedure, took their concerns to the Ministry of Education. Eight students, who allegedly partook in the drinking of an alcoholic beverage in a fourth form washroom, were suspended for five days while the student who took the substance to the school was suspended for ten days. The students were suspended with effect from January 31 but the suspension was rescinded the following day. The ministry's decision to revoke the suspension had caused teachers at the country's leading secondary school some amount of discomfort, they had claimed. Since then some students have observed the new penalty while the period of suspension is still in effect for others. Stabroek News has learnt that parents of some of the children involved are still not in agreement with the revised method used to mete out punishment. However, others have supported the action taken. Queen's College has submitted its report on the matter to the Georgetown Education Department. An education ministry official told Stabroek News, when contacted, that officers from the department were due to visit the school yesterday in light of lingering concerns which persist among some parents regarding the punishment decision. These parents also feel that the revised action is not in keeping with the Chief Education Officer's decision to repeal the previous suspension decision. After the disciplinary decree was rescinded, the school's administration met with the QC Board of Governors, and the Chief Education Officer. It was decided that the school has the right to discipline the students and since the suspension was not done in the "right way", the school should discipline the students using the correct procedure. Some parents had been invited to discuss the issue of suspension with the school's administration whilst others had not been called in and this was then a basis for objections in the first phase of determining the correct disciplinary action. (Miranda La Rose)
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