KINGSTON, Jamaica — Children’s advocacy group Fi We Children Foundation (FWCF) is expressing deep concern and condemnation of a recent incident at a primary school in Spanish Town, Saint Catherine, where students’ jackets were reportedly confiscated by school administrators, leaving children exposed to chilly conditions during a cold front.

In a statement on Wednesday, the group said the action understandably caused distress among parents and raised serious questions about the exercise of discretion in school grooming policy enforcement.

“At a time when the physical well-being, dignity and rights of Jamaica’s children must be prioritised, Fi We Children Foundation is alarmed by actions that disregard a school’s duty of care,” the group said.

It added that cold temperatures, though seasonal, pose real health risks to children, particularly younger students, and directly affect their comfort, concentration and ability to learn.

“Schools must be safe spaces, not environments where children are subjected to unnecessary physical discomfort as a form of rule enforcement.”

FWCF said the group’s position is that children’s rights come first. The group noted that every child has the right to safety, dignity and humane treatment in educational settings and said confiscating warm clothing in cold conditions undermines these fundamental rights.

The group cited duty of care, emphasising that schools are legally and morally obligated to act in the best interests of the child, in keeping with Jamaica’s Child Care and Protection Act and international standards such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Jamaica is a signatory.

Pointing to the climate and practical reality, the group said that while Jamaica is a tropical country, cold fronts and cool mornings are a lived reality. Therefore, it said school policies must be flexible and responsive to environmental conditions.

The group renewed its call for a revised National School Grooming Policy that removes the unilateral and final decision-making power from individual school administrators, describing unchecked discretion as harmful.

Africka Stephens, executive founder of FWCF, cautioned that, “Rules designed to promote order must never come at the expense of a child’s health, comfort or identity. Any form of discipline that humiliates, endangers or excludes children is neither educational nor just.”

Fi Wi Children Executive Founder Africka Stephens