“I wish to advise the public and parents of students attending T.N. Tatem Middle School that members of the Ministry of Education administration team have met regularly with teachers and staff to address facility challenges and to begin planning a way forward to improve conditions at the school.

“Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Valerie Robinson-James met with staff on November 17th and agreed to have weekly communications with staff, teachers and parents.  The Permanent Secretary indicated that a full report from the Health and Safety Officer has been fast tracked and we are anticipating having that report on Monday, 28 November.

“It is anticipated that by Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, we will have further information to provide to teachers, parents and the general public.

“We recognize that the situation at T.N. Tatem has been the cause of distress for teachers and parents.  We share their concerns. The health and safety of the students and staff at TN Tatem has been our primary focus. 

“As stated, the Ministry is planning to share the report findings to all concerned and present a comprehensive plan for the remainder of the school year.  However, we first must receive the Health and Safety report.

“I can share with you the communication that was sent on behalf of the Ministry to the Principal and staff at T.N. Tatem on November 22nd from Dr. Lou Matthews. 

Dr Matthews stated:  ‘Mrs. McMahon and T.N. Tatem family, I am writing to provide you with an update from the Department of Education following our meeting with staff on Thursday, November 17th, 2016.

This is the first of week updates. As a result of that meeting four areas of focus were discussed as action items:

       The completion of the Health and Safety investigation

The report of the Health and Safety officer has been fast-tracked and will be available Monday, November 28th. Mr. Titus Gordon will be visiting the school on Wednesday to conduct further observations as well.

       Sharing of concerns with Minister and approval of next steps

PS will be seeking urgent Ministerial approval to remediate any and all rooms not meeting the health standards. She will also share with the Minister other questions raised by staff.

       Regular updates on mould abatement

The mould abatement vendor as well as their subcontractors have been informed that under no circumstances should there be work going on before 3:30 pm (weekdays). Therefore work will only take place evenings and weekends. They are scheduled to come in tomorrow to start rooms 203 and 204. 

Thus far two rooms have been abated (253 and art room) with the ceiling left to install but they have been re-tested and we are awaiting results. We should have these approximately 1 week from next week Tuesday when air samples arrive stateside.

       Staff Health Concerns

The Department is advising staff members to report any adverse conditions of personal wellness directly to the principal who will prepare a log of the environmental concerns. Staff members should also be mindful of their personal health and take precautionary steps where necessary.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Next Update: November 29, 2016’

“We are awaiting the report and we will make the decision based on the findings in the report. As I have stated on numerous occasions, our children come first and we must be ready to do all we can to provide a teaching environment that is safe for all. 

“With this in mind, once we get the facts from the report a decision will be made regarding whether remediation can be done outside of school hours, over the weekends, and the upcoming school break, or if it would be in the best interest of all concerned to shut the building and temporarily move all students to Clearwater where there is sufficient capacity.  However any findings and plan will be fully communicated to T.N. Tatem family, and to the greater community.

“At this time, we have not heard anything from the teachers &/or Union regarding tomorrow and we would expect that all teachers will report to work as scheduled.”