WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Scores of students at the Godfrey Stewart High School in Savanna-La-Mar, Westmoreland were on Monday morning locked out by the school’s administration and left roaming the streets over alleged violations of the institution’s uniform guidelines.

When OBSERVER ONLINE visited the institution, a number of students were seen lingering outside the school’s gate, complaining about the reason they were not allowed inside the school premises.

“Nuh stupidness this,” one furious parent, Stephanie Fullwood told OBSERVER ONLINE.

“Di children dem come fi learn. Nothing is wrong with their uniforms. It’s all about learn. It is at risk fi di kids dem on the road, later yuh a guh hear seh dem missing,” a distraught Fullwood said.

Fullwood said the institution should have informed the parents about the uniform guidelines. She said the school is doing an injustice to the students who have already experienced learning loss, due to the novel coronavirus.

Another parent, Hycine Suckran said she is “angry”. Suckran said her son, who is in the ninth grade, is not being allowed to enter school and she is adamant that his trousers are not closely fitted.

Suckran is calling on the government to intervene as students have been outside for over two hours. The school commences at 7:15 am daily.

Melissa Samuels told the OBSERVER that the school made her daughter’s uniform, and it was too big.

“I follow rules and protocols, and I am a good parent, but I need the uniform to be adjusted. The waist is big and hers is three inches above the ankle, and it should be five according to the uniform guideline. Di principal need fi leave, because yuh cyah have the people dem pitney stand up a road,” Dorlon Cunningham argued.

Principal Emily Lawrence- Ricketts, however, said she will only be allowing students who abide by the rules.

“Since May 26, one of the reasons we are having this uniform conformity drive is that we have a number of predators who molests young girls in taxis and buses. What we are trying to do is use the uniform as a deterrent. When the uniforms are short [the predators] tend to touch the students. There has been a surge in molestation cases at the institution because of public transportation,” Lawrence- Ricketts explained.

“The PTA [Parent Teacher Association] has made provision to provide one uniform free of cost to those struggling parents. Those uniforms are made at the school, she added.