Montrose Vedic School closed due to parasite

“If it is that the school is not safe for our children, how are they going to conduct polling come the 28th of November?” School was suspended indefinitely yesterday after the TT Unified Teachers Association advised teachers to steer clear of the compound’s unsafe working conditions.

According to PTA president Larry Dilchan, students, staff and parents have reported being bitten by something they cannot see. These bites then develop into rashes and he estimated that about 25 percent of the school’s 520 students have since been affected.

They are calling for the school to either be relocated to the National Enrichment Centre in Carlsen Field, or for prefabricated buildings to be constructed in the school’s car park until a solution to the problem is found.

Dilchan said the school experienced a similar situation before with a flea infestation about three years ago.

However, around October last year, they continued to be bitten, except now by micro-organisms that they cannot see. He said the PTA raised its concerns with the Ministry of Education last October and school was suspended for about six weeks to facilitate testing by the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri). To date, said Dilchan, the report has not been produced.

“We decided to find out about it ourselves, but when we asked Cariri for the report, we learned that the Government hired Cariri but did not pay Cariri,” Dilchan said, adding that the PTA offered to pay Cariri for the report but it said the PTA was not the entity with which Cariri made the contract.

Isahak said the PTA then raised around $11,000 to pay for independent tests to be done by Rose Environmental Ltd in April. However, the results were “inconclusive.” Among the students suffering from the mysterious rash is eightyear- old Naima Lucas whose picture is plastered on the school’s outer walls to celebrate her winning gold in the 2016 Atlantic National Primary School Track and Field Championships in May. Inside the walls, however, something is irritating her skin.

Lucas showed Newsday two dense patches of red buttons that appeared on both her arms.

“She has been a student of the school for the last four years,” said Michelle Mendez, Lucas’ mother.

“I always heard other parents talk about this issue but this is the first time she is experiencing it.” Ashika Kalicharan, whose seven-year-old daughter also bore rashes on her body, said, “Our children are suffering too long now. Something needs to be done soon, because we have National Test coming up. And what about the Standard Fives who are preparing for SE A?” Michael Mason said the rash has spread to the rest of his family after first appearing on his seven-year-old daughter’s skin.

The PTA said it intends to continue its protest for the rest of the week until something is done. Attempts to reach Education Minister Anthony Garcia were unsuccessful, but Minister in the Ministry of Education, Dr Lovell Francis, said the ministry was aware of the situation and was working on a solution.