KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Education Dana Morris Dixon is reiterating that no child should be locked out of school because of any infraction.

“The policy is that no students should be locked out of school. No child should be denied education,” the minister told Observer Online on Monday, in response to reports that several students of Calabar High School in St Andrew had been locked out of the compound earlier in the day as the 2025-2026 academic year got underway.

“I have alerted the regional team for investigation and intervention where necessary,” she said.

When the Observer arrived at Calabar around 9:30 am, the boys, some of whom said they had been waiting at the gate before 8:00 am, gave various reasons why they had not been admitted to the campus. Reasons included black hair dye, incorrect belt buckles, missing buttons from khakis, tight pants and incorrect hair lengths.

READ: Lockout at Calabar

Morris Dixon maintained that grooming rules must be adhered to, but added that remedying any infraction should be a collaborative effort.

“Students should be permitted entry to schools, and where there are matters related to possible grooming infractions,  these should be discussed and addressed in collaboration with the parents to ensure compliance,” she said.

When the Observer team passed by sometime later, we were told most of the boys had left the school gate, with some observed standing under a bus stop.

— Dana Malcolm