Education Minister Andrew Holness has asked the police to investigate instances where students are involved in unlawful protests and has warned educators who fail to protect children from these illegal acts that sanctions will be applied.

"I would like to publicly express my concern over the practice of unlawful protests on, or in the vicinity of school grounds, in some instances involving students," Holness said in a release yesterday.

He added: "Where the ministry determines that school officials have failed to exercise adequate supervision of students in their care, or in any other way acted contrary to the students' best interests, sanctions will be applied in keeping with the Education Act and Regulations."

Breach of the peace

Holness said from media reports, it was evident that participants in these incidents were in breach of the peace, obstructing public roads and trespassing on school property.

Scores of students from Grange Hill High School in Westmoreland on Monday blocked the main road in that community to protest against poor road conditions. Some 1,900 students converged outside the facility demanding that the roads be repaired.

"Most importantly, these demonstrations place our students at risk. It is with this in mind that I would like to advise the public of the ministry's zero-tolerance approach to unlawful actions occurring on or near school grounds," he said.

The education minister said the ministry's zero-tolerance policy on unlawful protests was discussed in greater detail in its manual on security and safety to be distributed to schools in the current school term.

Hold the school

Under the ministry's zero-tolerance approach to unlawful protests, the ministry intends to hold the school community and the public responsible for action or inaction that negatively affects school operations.

Holness said under the Child Care and Protection Act, parents have a duty to ensure that their children are enrolled and attending school. School administrators have a duty at common law to supervise and care for students in their care and students are bound to obey the school rules, including those prohibiting misbehaviour in public while in uniform.

He pointed out that unlawful protests have the potential to escalate and threaten the security and safety of the school community. Such protests, he said, create an atmosphere of hostility, intimidation and indiscipline without providing meaningful resolution to underlying problems.

Holness said under the Child Care and Protection Act, parents have a duty to ensure that their children are enrolled and attending school.