Kingston College students make their way home after school yesterday. - Norman Grindley/Acting Photography editor

Two students of Kingston College (KC) were yesterday taken into police custody for their involvement in a violent incident that left one of their peers injured.

The latest incident followed another on Tuesday when classes at the school's North Street campus ended abruptly after several ninth-grade students attacked and beat a teacher.

After the fracas on Tuesday, sixth formers were assigned to man the classes while the teachers staged a meeting to strategise the way forward.

The teacher who was attacked did not report for duty on Wednesday.

Eye injury

He told The Gleaner that he sustained an injury to his eye. He said the scuffle was between him and a student but then other students from the class joined in and started to attack him.

A sixth-former said that the mêlée was broken up by fifth-form students who stormed into the classroom and rescued the teacher.

The teacher was reluctant to provide more details as he said it was now a court matter.

Everton Burrell, KC's principal, was out of office during our visit yesterday and Juliet Wilson, a vice-principal at the institution, refused to comment.

When The Gleaner visited the school's North Street campus, there was a loud roar as students rushed to a section of the schoolyard.

After the shouting and confusion subsided, our news team was told that at least two students had attacked another boy with knives. The boy, in defending himself reportedly struck one of his schoolmates in the head with his T-square. He had to receive medical attention.

On Wednesday, teachers, with the help of officials from the education ministry, school resource officers and guidance counsellors, conducted training and guidance sessions for the entire school day.

Margaret Muschette-Phillips, Jamaica Teachers' Association contact teacher at KC, said the boys were taught about ethics, how to deal with conflicts and the need to show respect to persons in authority.

Muschette-Phillips said the police warned the boys about the consequences of their actions and also briefed them about life behind bars.

She said teachers were not pleased with the student's misconduct.

Former president of the Kingston College Old Boys' Association, Dr Winston Davidson, said such aggressive behaviour displayed by the students should not be tolerated.

"With behaviour like that, those boys can't continue in the school. They should be expelled forthwith," he said.

Miranda Sutherland, president of the National Parent-Teachers Association of Jamaica, condemned fighting in school. Sutherland also said she believes that the violence in schools can be corrected, but not overnight. "It is not a situation that cannot be returned to normal but it will take time."