TWO months after the Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of Dr Majorie Fullerton as Merl Grove High School principal and ruled that she be paid all outstanding wages and allowances that she was entitled to from the date of termination, the veteran educator is still waiting to collect.

Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Assistant Secretary General Doran Dixon on Thursday told the Jamaica Observer he is concerned that Fullerton has not yet been compensated despite the court ruling.

“She should have been paid. The court ordered that she be paid all salaries and any other benefits that would have been due to her over the period she was out, because the decision of the lower court was quashed,” Dixon said.

He argued that there is no legal basis for withholding payment as Fullerton complied with the judicial process throughout the dispute.

“She’s concerned, the lawyer is concerned, [and] we [the JTA] are concerned because, in the same way that she respected the court and went through the process, when it is now time for her to receive what the court ordered, the parties, the Ministry of Education, should, in fact, respect the court ruling and act accordingly,” Dixon added.

Efforts to get a comment from Minister of Education Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, and permanent secretary in the ministry Kasan Troupe were unsuccessful up to press time.

According to Dixon, while the school board has indicated its intention to appeal the ruling, no formal stay of execution has been granted by the court.

“The other side indicated an intention to appeal; they actually filed their appeal late. Under court procedures, they now need to seek the court’s permission to proceed with the appeal because it was not filed on time,” he explained.

“My understanding is that it does not matter whether they filed late by one minute or one year; it is still late. They have sought to do that, but up to the present time the court has not formally ordered a stay,” added Dixon.

Fullerton has been at the centre of a dispute at the all girls’ Merl Grove since 2022 when she was removed as principal by the school board following recommendations from the school’s personnel committee.

The committee concluded that allegations against her were proven during a disciplinary hearing held after her suspension on September 10, 2021.

However, in a March 6, 2026 ruling, the Supreme Court ordered that Fullerton be reinstated as principal, overturning decisions previously upheld by the school board, the Ministry of Education, and the Associated Gospel Assemblies Church, which owns the school.

Dixon said the ministry should now comply with the ruling, particularly given Fullerton’s personal circumstances during the legal battle.

“The feeling is that the ministry should, in fact, carry out the court order, and the court order is to pay the lady all of this money, especially bearing in mind that during this time she had to battle cancer,” he said.

The former two-time JTA president argued that the ruling effectively entitles Fullerton to nearly four years’ salary and benefits.

Dixon also warned that Fullerton’s legal team could pursue contempt of court proceedings if the education ministry ignores the court ruling.

“We made the point, and the lawyer made the point, that there is no formal stay of execution of the judgment. Of course, the persons who are not respecting the court order can, in fact, be cited for contempt of court. We could initiate contempt of court proceedings against them because of that,” he said.