Today , October 31st 2016, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport Silveria Jacobs took the decision to close the Leonard Conner School based on the severe symptoms experienced by a number of teachers and pupils.
While the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport did not receive a direct advice from the Fire Department to evacuate or close the school, the Minister took the decision after consultation with the school’s management and the Inspectorate.
The Fire Department, in collaboration with the Ministry of VSA, VROMI and ECYS, have been carrying out tests on a daily basis from 5 different points in the Cay Bay area.
The tests are being conducted to measure the level of the various gases in the air and have been ongoing since the 19th of October as a result of the various complaints received from the Management, staff and parents of the Leonard Connor School.
The results from the various measurements carried out over this period are not high enough to establish a correlation between the measurements captured and the symptoms experienced by the teachers and pupils.
This clearly indicates a need for more in depth investigation, assessment and monitoring by the ministries responsible for Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment & Infrastructure and Public Health, Social Development and Labor.
School will resume tomorrow, as further consultations are carried out. This situation has the attention of government and will continue to be closely monitored.