THE GUYANA Police Force plans to widen its investigations into the report that a seven-year old girl had taken a firearm to school, and had reportedly used it to chase other students around the classroom in the teacher’s absence.The Guyana Chronicle was informed by a parent of a child attending Mae’s private school that she first learnt of the gun incident two Thursdays ago, when her daughter came home and informed her that a female student named “Khan” had taken a firearm to school on the Wednesday prior, and was running the children with it.

The concerned parent explained that despite the facts, the teachers of the school allowed the student to remain in school, much to the disapproval of many parents.

The gun-toting student was then allowed to go on a school tour last week Friday, and several of the students pointed her out to their parents. That is when several parents decided to question teachers of the school, who all claimed ignorance of the incident.

The Guyana Chronicle has been reliably informed that when the gun was taken away from the student, the parents of the child were informed. Contact was first made with the child’s home, from where someone who answered the phone reportedly told the teacher who had called that the gun was not loaded, and that it was actually pellets which were loaded into the firearm.

Then the girl’s father visited the school, invited by management to sort out the issue and erase their concerns. This publication was informed that the man had behaved in a very arrogant manner at that meeting, not being very receptive of the concerns raised by the teachers.

Speaking with at least two parents of students who attend the school, this newspaper was informed that some parents were calling for the child to be expelled from the school, because if she is brilliant enough to take a weapon to school and run other students around with it, she might one day return with that or another weapon and use it on someone who had upset her for whatever reason.

As recently as on Friday, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud was still informing media operatives that the incident with the gun at the school was unconfirmed. He said that when he heard of the matter, he sent the divisional crime officer over to the school, where he was greeted with an outright denial that the incident ever occurred.

This newspaper was also informed by sources within the Criminal Investigation Department that the police again returned to the school, and again were told that the incident never occurred.
The teachers at the school continue to keep the police in the dark, but thought it best to come clean with the parents and admit that the student had taken a weapon to school.

It is not clear if there is at the private school a policy for students to be searched before entering the compound, or if random checks are done on students.

There is at least one private school on the East Coast of Demerara where random checks are carried out on students and their belongings. If anything apart from school items are found on any student, that student is questioned and, depending on the gravity of the situation, the parents are called in.

There are no known cases when the police had to be called into the school as a result of those searches. It is widely believed that random searches done at the Academy of Apex Education act, from time to time, as a deterrent to students who may want to take to school objects or items which are dangerous to teachers and other students, or are just not appropriate for the school environment.
By Leroy Smith