PHILIPSBURG:— Member of Parliament (MP) and leader of the United St. Maarten (USP) faction in parliament, Claudius Buncamper is calling on the minister of Justice, Anna Richardson, and the minister of Education, Rodolphe Samuel to pay close attention to the number of brawls and fights taking place before, during and after school.
Last Friday a video of what appears to be two or more school fights was circulating throughout the community.
The MP’s concern is that one of the fights appears to had taken place on the school ground, while other students looked on, and no teachers, school staff, or security (guard) could be seen.
Another video shows another fight taking place on the public road between students from different schools. It was clear from that video that at least one other student was readying himself to join in the melee, in which case there would be two persons fighting one. Which could easily escalate into a gang fight.
School fights, gang fights, and brawls are not things of the past. They are very prevalent. They also present opportunities to spread the CORONA virus.
MP Buncamper hopes that both the minister of justice and the minister of education are taking note of what is going on in and around our schools and that they are taking the necessary steps to rid our society of such behavior.
The videos provide sufficient evidence to allow the authorities to look up and find those who took part in the fights.
The MP is calling for stiffer penalties for those who initiate or take part in fights during and after school hours and insists that the relevant penance must be applied to those found guilty of instigating and/or participating in such actions. MP Buncamper is calling on parents also to talk to their children about participating in fights and to encourage them to distance themselves from any unruly behavior that will obstruct their studies. School is not a place for settling differences, but it is an institution for learning, the MP said.
