JC student injured in bust-up withdraws from school

The teenage boy who suffered injuries in an incident at Jamaica College on March 26 will not be returning to the Old Hope Road, St Andrew-based institution when it reopens for the summer term next Monday.

“I haven’t decided on how to finish the term as he only has a few more months left to complete fourth form, but the short answer is he is never setting foot on that campus [again],” the boy’s mom told The Gleaner yesterday.

She insisted that her son was being bullied and that he was injured by a group of boys, not in a fight between himself (identified as Boy 3) and Boy 1 as the school said in a statement last week.

One boy is reportedly facing charges over the incident.

Caroline Hay, KC, confirmed to The Gleaner that her firm, Hay McDowell, is now representing the family’s interests and sent a press release yesterday accusing the school of attempting to control the narrative.

FAMILY UPSET

“The family is very upset with how Jamaica College has handled it, so they gave us those instructions,” she said.

“The family of the injured Jamaica College student has read the press release issued by the Jamaica College Board of Management dated April 1, 2026, and are both horrified and saddened by the blatant attempt to control the narrative surrounding the unbelievable incident at the school premises,” the release said.

The release questioned the basis on which the board “could have thought it appropriate to provide ‘details’” unless the incident was witnessed by a board member. If that is so, the statement said, then that person should give a statement to the police.

According to the firm, “those communicating for the school have made a clear decision to issue public statements which, in our view, are ill-timed,” as “the question of what happened to the victim is a matter for resolution in court”.

In its statement, Jamaica College said the incident was regrettable. It said the parties and eyewitnesses involved provided written statements of what had transpired. It said the incident was a fight between two boys over the ownership of $2,000.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com