Industrial action may still be looming at two schools as Bahamas Union of Teachers (B.U.T) President Belinda Wilson says lingering concerns and repeated calls for the removal of the schools’ principals may lead teachers to withdraw their services.

The B.U.T has repeatedly called on the Ministry of Education to remove Principals Myrtle McPhee (Anatol Rodgers Secondary School) and Mildred Roberts (Maurice Moore Primary School in Grand Bahama).

However, both principals were present at their respective schools at the start of the new school year yesterday.
But Mrs. Wilson told The Bahama Journal Monday that a letter is being drafted seeking permission for her and other top union officials to meet with the teachers at Anatol Rodgers to decide what they want to do.

Mrs. Wilson said there have been a number of complaints from parents, students and teachers of disrespect and inhumane treatment by Mrs. McPhee.

“The principal is not providing the leadership that is needed for the school,” the president said. “The parents have been complaining about the disrespect the principal has shown to them. We have parents that have made appointments to meet with the principal and have been forced to wait in the foyer for two or more hours without meeting with her.”

“We have teachers who have been disrespected and insulted in front of other staff members, students and parents. There are also concerns from the security and janitorial staff about what is happening at the school.”

Teachers at Maurice Moore, meanwhile, voted 3 to 1 Friday for the removal of that school’s principal.

Mrs. Wilson said the union’s concern is ensuring that teachers have a safe and peaceful working and learning environment and she said the two principals’ presence at the schools has dampened morale.

But Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald talked down any plans of industrial action Monday as he toured schools on the first day of the new school year.

The minister assured that it was business as usual at both schools and noted that Anatol Rodgers is one of the top performing schools in the country.

“The principal, the teachers and the administration there work extremely hard and they produce excellent results and they all returned to work [Monday] and I am sure that all the parents and the country are pleased about that and so we don’t see any issues there [today].”

Meanwhile, Mrs. Wilson said she hopes to meet with the teachers at Anatol Rodgers sometime this week.