MONTEGO BAY, St James — Alarmed at reports of health risks and worrying conditions seen during a tour of several schools in Trelawny last week, the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) on Wednesday reiterated its concern over the slow pace of restoration in schools impacted by Hurricane Melissa last October.

The JTA, alongside a delegation from the National Education Association in the United States, on Monday visited Holland High, Granville Primary, Hampden Primary and Infant, Wakefield Primary, and a number of other schools in the areas worst-affected by the Category 5 storm.

“During our visits, we encountered critically dilapidated infrastructure, serious mould, and termite infestation.

Members of our leadership team experienced respiratory discomfort during the relatively short period spent in some of these environments,” JTA President La Sonja Harrison said during a media briefing at Sea Garden Hotel in St James on Wednesday.

“That raises an obvious question: If visitors can experience respiratory discomfort during a short visit, what about the child who spends hours there, five days per week?

What about the teacher who reports there every morning?” questioned Harrison.

She acknowledged that Hurricane Melissa did not create all the problems observed during the tour, noting that some schools were already contending with longstanding maintenance, health, safety, and security issues.

Harrison also expressed concern that damaged roofing material at one of the visited schools could contain asbestos.

“We were advised that well-meaning members of the community attempted to assist with cleaning up the debris, but discontinued the exercise after experiencing adverse physical effects while handling and disturbing the material,”

Harrison said as she pointed out that the school’s leadership promptly informed the Ministry of Education.

“Let us be absolutely clear, the JTA is not saying that this material is asbestos. We have not tested it, we do not have a laboratory result, [and] we will not present suspicion as scientific fact. But that is precisely the point: Test it,” urged Harrison.

She said the JTA was also concerned that food was being prepared in less-than-ideal conditions due to a damaged canteen roof at one school.

“We observed food for children being prepared beneath a leaking roof, with measures having to be taken to protect the food with plastic to prevent spoilage. Think about that for a moment; that is somebody’s child’s meal,” bemoaned Harrison.

“Damaged roofs, mould, termite infestation, and long-standing infrastructure deficiencies cannot become normal simply because teachers, principals, and communities have learnt to work around them,” declared Harrison.

“Reformation now requires us to stop normalising the unacceptable,” said Harrison in reference to the JTA’s theme for this year which ends with the rallying call, ‘Rebuilding a Resilient Education System

Buoyed by the Eternal Father and Unrelenting Unionism’.