From left, vice-principal, Shawn Aarons, along with teachers Brenton McLean and Adrian Kellier inspect Delorine Arthurs' tyres after they were slashed at the Dunoon Technical High School yesterday. - Norman Grindley/Acting Photography Editor

Refusing to take a student back into school turned out to be a costly affair for Dunoon Technical High School's principal, Geraldine Arthurs.

The incident arose after relatives of a student who was expelled last year allegedly took matters into their own hands, slashing three tyres on the principal's Honda CR-V sports-utility vehicle.

When The Gleaner team arrived, the school's compound was deserted, as most students had already made their way through the gate.

The principal and the vice-principal, along with a few other members of staff, were located around the corner of the school's building, taking off the damaged tyres.

Arthurs explained that the decision was taken by the school's chairman, Dalmain Small, in May, to send the student home.

According to the principal, the student's academic performance was consistently poor, he smoked marijuana on the school compound and was generally indisciplined.

Given an option

The student, who at the start of the new school year would have been going into the 10th grade, was given the option by principal Arthurs to attend the school's evening classes.

The grandmother and a brother of the student visited the principal between last week and yesterday, requesting the student be taken back.

Arthurs, who has been in the teaching profession for 30 years, 29 of them being at Dunoon, said, she would not be intimidated because this was not the first time this had been done.

"They have been slashed over and over again," she said.

michelle-ann.letman@gleanerjm.com