The case involving the Form 4 student of St. Joseph’s Convent Kingstown (SJCK) who was reportedly expelled from school last year will be in court again today (Monday).
After an interparty hearing in chambers on Friday, Justice Wesley James ordered that the child remains in school and granted Attorney General Judith Jones-Morgan seven days within which to file a claim form.
The judge also gave the respondents 28 days within which to respond and scheduled hearing of the substantive matter for Nov. 15.
The ruling came as the judge heard an application by Attorney General Judith Jones-Morgan asking the court to overturn an earlier ruling by Justice Frederick Bruce-Lyle that the student continue her education at SJCK until a lawsuit is disposed of.
The 14-year-old student was allegedly expelled from SJCK and assigned to Emmanuel High School Mesopotamia in July after writing in a workbook a rude comment about a teacher in March.
Lawyer Jomo Thomas, acting on behalf of the student’s mother, filed a lawsuit against the school’s principal, two Ministry of Education (MOE) officials, and the MOE itself.
The Attorney General and Thomas are said to have addressed the court extensive on Friday.
However, within a few hours of the court order, the Attorney General filed another application asking that the court set side both the orders of Bruce-Lyle and James, respectively.
Both sides were then summoned back to court on Friday for a hearing today.
A third judge, Justice Gertel Thom, will hear the application today.
In my opinion the parents and the lawyer have ruined the life of this child by bringing an unwarranted case before the courts and the lawyer making it public. The girls life is now in the public domain which means she will be identified for ever as the girl who wrote a disgustingly graphic note to her teacher.
I also believe the lawyer should be reprimanded by the court for making this matter public, its a disgrace.
Perhaps even the girl should seek compensation from the lawyer.