Classes suspended at St James High after principal, chairman square off
Published:Wednesday | February 26, 2025 | 12:12 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Classes were suspended at St James High School in Montego Bay, St James, on Tuesday, a day after a longstanding acrimonious relationship between Principal Joseph Williams and Chairman Christopher McCurdy boiled over during a staff meeting and later in the school’s parking lot.
According to teachers who witnessed the incident, McCurdy showed up uninvited to the staff meeting and attempted to address the staff. However, he was blocked by the principal, who deemed McCurdy’s actions a breach of protocol, as his role did not involve the day-to-day running of the school.
“The two of them kick off and teachers had to rush between them to stop the situation from getting physical,” one teacher told The Gleaner. “The situation moved from the staff meeting to the car park, where they had another harsh verbal exchange.”
The exchange in the parking lot was captured on video footage in which McCurdy could be heard challenging the principal to take him to court after Williams told him that it was illegal for him to be recording him.
“Sue me. … Christopher McCurdy, that is my name. Bring the lawsuit … . Your behaviour is not fitting for a principal,” McCurdy was heard saying.
Yesterday, the education ministry dispatched a team to visit the school to meet with stakeholders.
Questions surfaced yesterday about McCurdy’s chairmanship as The Gleaner was told that the life of the school board had ended. While it was expected that McCurdy would be re-engaged, the new board had yet to formalise their new appointments.
“The tenure of the board has ended, so technically the school is operating without a board. He (the chairman) is just there as a filler until a new board is appointed,” an outgoing board member told The Gleaner. “This man has had a contentious relationship with the principal, and the Ministry of Education knows this, so I was hoping that they would have taken steps to prevent a situation like this from happening.”
ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A DISPUTE
Last year, Williams and McCurdy were on opposite sides of a dispute when a video surfaced of two female students kissing. While Williams persuaded the parents to withdraw the students, claiming they were becoming a distraction, McCurdy ordered an investigation, arguing that the action, which the parents saw as an expulsion, had been done without the consent of the school board. However, Williams maintained that the students were not expelled but were withdrawn by their parents at his request, and he even offered to assist in placing them in other schools.
The principal and chairman clashed again last September when Williams terminated the services of a temporary teacher, deeming her performance unsatisfactory. However, McCurdy instructed the teacher to resume her duties, saying the matter had not been brought to the attention of the board. Once again, Williams stood his ground, asserting that the chairman had no authority to intervene in the matter due to the temporary employment status of the teacher.
Linvern Wright, president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, based on his understanding of the situation, the chairman may have breached protocol.
“I spoke to the principal; he had a meeting, and the chairman was there without being invited and wanted to pretty much conduct the meeting … . I don’t know that that is something that should be. The chairman should have had a meeting with the principal before, because the principal is in charge of operation; he’s in charge of the overall management of the school, so he (the chairman) would deal with anything he has in a board meeting,” said Wright.