Three Linden students in COVID isolation

THREE LINDEN FOUNDATION SECONDARY SCHOOL (LFSS) STUDENTS are now
in isolation after contracting the deadly Covid-19 a Regional Democratic Council (RDC) press
statement said on Thrsday.
The release said RDC Chairman Mr. Deron Adams “today convened a meeting with the
Regional Education Officer (REdO) Mr. Nigel Richards; Regional Health Officer (RHO) Dr.
Gregory Harris, and head of the Region 10 COVID-19 Task Force, Mr. Dwight John to address
how this situation is being handled.”
The statement continues: “While some logistical issues had prevented the transport of the three
students into isolation care, they are now isolated and resting comfortably since all three had
presented as asymptomatic. Concern had been expressed by staff at the hostel and at the Linden
Foundation Secondary School that these children had been attending classes and so may have
posed a risk of transmission for other students and teachers.”
Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) President Ms. Lisa Robertson, had expressed outrage over
the mishandling of the issue by the RDC, REdO and RHO departments, slamming their sloth and
indifference.
In a recent interview, Robertson complained that the three government bodies have routinely
ignore the school’s PTA on decisions concerning the affected secondary school students.
Robertson said she reached out to RDC Chairman Adams and Mayor Ms. Waneka Arrindell for
consensus strategy in handling the health crisis among those students.
Adams was slothful and Arrindell was more accommodating.
“When this matter occurred, I reached out to the Regional Chairman and he has not yet
responded to my messages, but the Mayor responded promising that she will address my
concerns. But it's clear that the Ministry (of Education) doesn’t care about the PTA,” Robertson
emphasised.

As a consequence, the governing body of the LFSS was left hamstrung, disappointed and
disgusted.
“The PTA’s position is none because everything has been dealt with by the Ministry of Health
and the Ministry of Education. We have had no personal interaction, as nothing has been shared
with us. As it is, the present and the past Education Ministry (under Ministers, Ms. Nicolette
Henry and Priya Manickchand) has not given any acknowledgment to the Linden Foundation
PTA executive (as a duly constituted) body. I have been serving for two consecutive terms as the
President of the PTA and I don’t think the Ministry of Education has any respect or regards for
the PTA body,” Robertson complained.
Robertson declared that the PTA, and more so, she, as the President, has no intention of having a
confrontation to get attention (but) has taken a different approach, leaving everything to the
various stakeholders who want to be involved.
Notwithstanding the RDC press statement, the school’s PTA is still uncertain how many students
were tested positive with the deadly virus. Robertson said various figures are floated in the
bauxite-mining community: she has heard reports that one child from the LFSS and the other two
from Mackenzie High. There are other reports suggesting the opposite, she said.
She believes that like the stabbing incident whether the former Education Minister (Ms. Henry
under the APNU+AFC government) bypassed the PTA, the current administration is doing the
same in its handling of the COVID positive students’ cases.
“I believe protocol was broken on both occasions. I understand the role that I have as the
President of the PTA, and I have the full support of the parents on this. If you do not see the need
for the PTA body to request our presence (and) you will run the show, run the show (but) it is
frustrating, it is frustrating,’ an exasperated Robertson said.