Disgruntled members of the Jamaica College (JC) community are set to stage a protest on April 4 at the Old Hope Road school, demanding the resignation of Board Chairman Lance Hylton and the entire JC board in the wake of what they describe as damning admissions made during a recent meeting of JC old boys.

The Zoom meeting was held on Sunday, March 24.

As tempers flare over the situation, the organisers of the planned action insist that it will be a peaceful, stand-in protest.

The situation at the more-than-230-year-old school has become so intense that former Old Boys Association President Major Basil Jarrett has reported to the police that he has been threatened.

A summons, the Jamaica Observer was told, is to be issued to the individual accused of making the threat.

Jarrett was taken to court in a lawsuit filed against him by the school board over allegations that $3 million of uniform money was misappropriated. It was claimed that the school never received an account of how the money was used.

However, the Supreme Court threw out the suit last month.

Ten members of the board also took Jarrett to court over accusations of defamation.

One of the organisers of the protest, said in a statement on Tuesday that the “resignation of the entire board is needed if Jamaica College is to finally shed itself of the negativity that has surrounded the school since former Principal Ruel Reid was indicted on corruption charges in 2019”.

The contention surrounds charges and counter charges during the March 24 meeting over the submission of financial statements.

Additionally, concerns were raised over matters relating to the lawsuit filed against Major Jarrett as well as a Ministry of Education report on the school.
On Tuesday, Jarrett told the Observer that he was angry because people at JC did him a terrible deed.

He said the lawsuits filed against him stem from a vendetta and that he intends to defend them vigorously.

“Obviously, too, I am hurt by the things these guys had said about me and what they had done to me, but I intend to seek complete justice in the courts. I don’t really have a position on what is going on at JC, I leave them to sort out those matters on their own. My only interest now is on getting justice in the courts. They have cost the school millions of dollars, and there is no way to even quantify the reputational damage they have done, not just to me but to Jamaica College and the boys at the school, and I think the old boys are doing the right thing by holding them accountable for their actions,” he said.

“The first lawsuit they brought against me was dismissed by the courts. Ten members of the board have actually sued me individually for defamation. I maintained in my court records that I did not and could not have defamed them, and I intend to prove and defend this point in court. That defamation lawsuit has not reached case management as yet. It is still in the very early stages,” said Jarrett.

Asked for a response to the development, Hylton issued a statement, saying, “The enemies of Jamaica College, who support Basil Jarrett, feel threatened by the tremendous success that the school has achieved recently, and hope to use the Observer to put the school and its leadership in a negative light.”

He said the facts of the case are a matter of public record that can be accessed at the Supreme Court by anyone with an interest in it.

“Most of what you have indicated is untrue or misleading and I find it best not to give it any more oxygen by engaging in a back and forth reply, which is what JC’s enemies want. There is no news here. Supporters of defendant call for resignation of person suing their friend?”

“We press on with the business of giving the 1,700 young men under our care the best all round high school education and experience available in Jamaica. An environment where you have the best in aviation and football, lacrosse and table tennis, basketball and swimming, stock exchange investment and track and field. Not to mention schools’ challenge and auto mechanics. Have you noticed our meteoric rise in the annual Educate #Jamaica’s 2023 High School Rankings? Still work to be done, but on the right track.

“I hope you give as much newsprint to my response as you give to the Jarrett supporters,” Hylton said.