St Christopher’s School for the Deaf Principal Donna Harris describing the problems being experienced by the school during yesterday’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange. Beside her is Stacy-Ann Dockery, vice-principal at the school. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)
IT now appears likely that St Christopher’s School for the Deaf will not have to close its doors.
Yesterday, Sagicor Jamaica threw the school a lifeline by offering to do an early assessment of the damage done to the more than 100-year-old school by termites.
“I’m a bit concerned about its supporting structure with the termites. Perhaps we could accelerate our involvement by doing an emergency assessment, because we’re worried about that,” Sagicor Group Jamaica President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Zacca told Principal Donna Harris and Vice-Principal Stacy-Ann Dockery during this week’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.
Zacca made the offer after Harris shared the school’s everyday ordeal with reporters and editors at the Exchange, held to discuss the details of Sagicor’s February 18 event, which will benefit the school, located in Brown’s Town, St Ann, and Spanish Town Hospital’s Paediatric Unit.
The termites, Harris said, are “affecting the school and the dorm, but it’s especially bad at the school where we have things falling from the roof onto the classroom furniture and the dust from that is causing respiratory issues with some of the students and teachers. The problem is very critical”.
She said that the roof of the dorm leaks severely and that the 38 children who stay there do so for the greater portion of the school year. The school has a population of 42 students — 23 boys and 19 girls.
Harris stressed that it is the responsibility of the school to provide a safe environment for the students and staff.
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