Argument done
ADMINISTRATORS of a Corporate Area primary school on Tuesday managed to settle a dispute involving the relatives of two male students which was threatening to turn violent.
The friction developed two weeks ago when two boys at the school had a dispute with another male student. During the dispute, which spilled over after school, one of the boys was punched in the eye causing it to swell.
When recording artiste Christopher Lloyd, the father of the student who was punched, arrived at the institution to collect him, he saw his son with a swollen eye.
Lloyd inquired about the injury and was told that his son had been hit in the face by one of two boys who had pursued him from the classroom and followed him outside the school gate.
An irate Lloyd told his son to point out the boys who were responsible for the injury. The child led his father to where the two boys were standing under a tree and Lloyd accosted them, before grabbing them by their hands and taking them to a teacher.
Lloyd admitted to the Jamaica Observer that he held the hands of the boy who punched his son and shook him, telling him that he should not have hit him.
“When I saw my son’s face, I got angry, but I didn’t hit anybody. The fact that I held on to his hand, that is where I realised I went wrong. My son got injured and now me have fi a pay fi something weh me never do. I now know. Now that me know that if me come to the school and have an issue, I have to find the principal or whoever is running the school and let them deal with it. I wish I did that first. I also wish I never held on to their hands at all,” Lloyd told the Observer on Tuesday.
The mother of the boy who allegedly punched Lloyd’s son arrived at the school the following day to meet with administrators. Based on discussions that ensued, a decision was made to make amends between both families and move forward with no malice. The boys shook hands and went their ways.
However, the matter would not disappear after that reconciliation. Subsequent to that meeting, the parents and guardians of the second boy who trailed the victim outside the school gates began to raise hell, alleging that he was slapped in the face and punched in the ribs by Lloyd.
That boy’s family members indicated that they were determined to see Lloyd dragged before the courts for the alleged assault. They also presented what appeared to be a prescription given to them by a doctor to purchase pain medication and pledged to get even with Lloyd by any means necessary.
Up to Tuesday morning, the boy maintained that Lloyd had assaulted him outside the school gate.
“After me think say everything resolved between my son and the boy who punch him, me still come hear say mi box kid and all of a sudden mi hear say mi have doctor bill. Dem seh dem carry him go doctor and him face swell but me nuh know a who box him. I was beginning to wonder if somebody told their family that I have money. I just want everything done and that is why mi come fi pay the money. Is not like say mi guilty why mi pay di money.
“All of the kids were there when I held on to him and the other boy who we quashed things with. Where, when and why would I box him? I don’t have any time for these things. This is just bad energy for me. Just take a look at my son’s face how it black and blue. I could have taken him to the doctor and tried to get money, but things do happen among children. This is kinda difficult because I was not a part of this,” said Lloyd.
But on Tuesday the student finally confessed that he had fabricated the story that he was assaulted by Lloyd.
During a meeting involving the principal, vice-principal, guidance counsellor, teachers and the fathers of both students on Tuesday, it was revealed that the boy was coerced to make the claim of assault against Lloyd.
Added to that, none of the alleged eyewitnesses, including students, teachers and vendors saw Lloyd punch or slap the boy as claimed.
Both fathers breathed a sigh of relief outside a classroom as they shook hands and shared a jovial moment. They expressed joy that the matter was resolved.
Prior to the situation being resolved, Lloyd was livid that he was being pressured to pay for damages that he was certain he did not create.
Added to his frustration were threats from the other boys’ family to take legal action.
He told the Observer that he decided he was going to pay the medical bill so the matter could be placed behind him, but instead of things going that way, the matter escalated.