School of the Nations will remain closed for the remainder of the week as its administration works to address parents’ concerns about security in light of violent threats made to the student body on Facebook and the shooting of its principal outside his home on Sunday.
In a statement yesterday afternoon, the school’s administration said, “School will be closed for the rest of the week until Monday 4th February as we put things in place to ensure the security of all on campus.”
It was further stated that the administration will meet with parents/ guardians before Monday to provide an update.
Teachers will be in school from 9 to 2 every day, the statement added, to offer support of any kind to students or parents.
At a meeting on Monday evening, parents made it clear to the school administration that they were not fully satisfied with the security measures in place. Many felt that the school was not prepared for a proper response in the event of a shooting. The concerns were raised following recent threats to students that were made on Facebook.
A new post was made yesterday on the Facebook page from where threats to injure students have emanated.
Stabroek News was unable to reach Crime Chief Lyndon Alves for a comment on the seriousness of the threats and what is being done by the police force.
Co-Founder and Direc-tor of School of the Nations, Pamela O’Toole yesterday told Stabroek News that they have met with security personnel and experts to address the concerns of the parents. She noted that they have received recommendations and are working to implement them.
On Sunday, it was announced by school administrators that they have contacted Facebook and cybersecurity experts who have done work with the US State Department for assistance to possibly identify the person behind the page.
Parents’ concerns intensified after the school’s Principal, Dr Brian O’Toole, was shot in an attack at his home on Sunday night.
Touching on her husband’s condition yesterday, Pamela O’Toole explained he is still recuperating at a private hospital. She explained that he sustained a fractured arm and one of his arteries was damaged beyond repair.
Hours after addressing parents’ security concerns on Sunday, Dr O’Toole was shot by a gunman at his home
“There were three bullets fired at me. I was struck by two of them. One did minor damage on the right arm and the other was more serious on the left where the bone was badly damaged. I am getting better and will likely be in the hospital for a few days,” he said in a Facebook post on Monday from his hospital bed.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, his wife told this newspaper yesterday and pointed out that her husband has spoken with the police and provided details on what transpired between him and the gunman on Sunday night.
Stabroek News understands that the gunman was not masked when he confronted Dr O’Toole.
Moments after the shooting, a post indirectly claiming responsibility was made on the Facebook page where an initial threat had been posted.
The post containing the first threat was made days after a student was expell-ed for threatening to “shoot up” the school. That student was questioned by the police and has since claimed that the threat was a joke.
Since the threat on the life of school population, the school has retained the services of private security firms Delta Security and Sheriff Security Services, which announced they were providing their services on a pro-bono basis.
Parents at the meeting on Monday night, requested that the school administration formulate a concrete emergency response plan and consult with security experts on the way forward before reopening its doors. They also asked that the school implement security measures to minimise the risk of a shooting and to put systems in place to deal with the welfare of the children.
