THE smouldering dispute at the all-girls Merl Grove High School in St Andrew boiled over into the public space on Monday, with scores of teachers taking to the streets to stage a silent protest.

Teachers at the school, who refused to speak to the media during their protest, left little doubt that they were opposed to the actions of Principal Dr Marjorie Fullerton who returned to the post in March following a Supreme Court ruling.

Fullerton was first appointed to the post in 2016 but was ousted by the school’s board — based on a recommendation of its Personnel Committee — in 2022 after she was suspended in September 2021.

The veteran educator took her dismissal to the courts which ordered her reinstatement on the basis that the board did not follow procedures of the Education Regulations.

Merl Grove High teachers in protest action on Monday. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

The ruling marked a setback for the school board, the Ministry of Education and the Associated Gospel Assemblies Church, which owns the institution. All had upheld her dismissal following a dispute with staff over her leadership style.

Three months after returning as principal, Fullerton told the Jamaica Observer that the job remains challenging, given that she is still working with the same board that recommended her dismissal four years ago.

“It is not easy at all, because I thought that coming back after six years — and six successful years, and I’m saying successful because the school has moved in terms of ranking and academic performance. And coming back, I thought I was going to see a new board, but I’m facing the same school board, and there were teachers here before who are still here,” said Fullerton.

“It is very difficult if I’m not getting the support that I need. It’s not easy, but I have been through many fights, because I’m a breast cancer survivor, and during the time I was fighting for my job I was also fighting for my life. I believe that, even though it’s not the same thing, it’s still a fight,” she said then.

Teachers at Merl Grove High School staging a silent protest outside the institution on Monday. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

With the dispute simmering a meeting was organised last month with administrators at the institution and the education ministry’s Regional Educational Services, which mobilised an estimated 100 Merl Grove stakeholders and interested parties to the dispute.

According to Observer sources, the meeting was being spearheaded by the ministry not as a formal hearing, but to allow internal stakeholders to express their concerns and work towards achieving a more harmonious and conducive environment.

The ministry later indicated that it would be reviewing the outcome of the discussions for a follow-up meeting to be decided.

Some stakeholders said they were hopeful that the meeting would achieve a resolution but suggested that some of the issues were controversial and would require patience and a willingness to end the dispute.

FULLERTON…I thought I was going to see a new board, but I’m facing the same school board, and there were teachers here before who are still here. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

When the Observer visited the institution on Monday, teachers were observed bearing placards calling for the resignation of Fullerton, but remained tight-lipped about what prompted the morning’s protest.

Efforts to speak with Fullerton were unsuccessful.