A claim by Comfort Castle Primary School Principal Dalmain Moore that State agencies failed to contact the school to provide support after the death of an eight-year-old student has been rubbished by the Ministry of Education and the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA).

“Whenever a child passes away tragically, the ministry activates its various interventions to assist and support not only the students and faculty of the child’s school, but also the family, as was the case with little Sunshine,” Education Minister Fayval Williams was quoted in a joint statement issued on Monday.

Moore had made the allegation during the funeral service for Vinice “Sunshine” Burke at Comfort Castle Seventh-day Adventist Church two Sundays ago.

Vinice, who lived in Comfort Castle, Portland, was found unresponsive at her stepfather’s house on Friday, September 22, 2023. There was a bag over her face. She was taken to Port Antonio Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

During the funeral service, Principal Moore lamented what he described as a lack of response from the Ministry of Education, the Child Development Agency (CDA), and the CPFSA.

“I was hopeful that the post-mortem would have identified something, so that at least as a family we could find closure. But it returned inconclusive. I realised yet again we have been failed by the agents of the State. In addition to the other agencies that we have, like the CDA, CPFSA, CISOCA [Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse] I have never seen any representative of any of those organisations who are brand-name to protect the children of this country,” he said.

“I have never seen any of them coming up to offer support, or even to investigate. Vinice was not living by herself and so I wonder about the level of investigation that went into this matter. I am also concerned about the level of investigation from the Ministry of Education. I can recall clearly that there was another incident of another eight-year-old child in St Ann that got the level of attention, and it begs the question: Is it because of the locale why we are being treated this way?” he charged.

However, the ministry and the CPFSA countered that following the child’s passing, a member of the ministry’s Trauma Unit for that region contacted Moore on Sunday, September 24, 2023 to offer condolences as well as to arrange a visit to the school by the trauma team for the next day.

“This visit was hampered due to the prevailing weather conditions affecting accessibility to the school. However, a guidance counsellor from the neighbouring Moore Town High School was sent to the school on Monday, September 25, 2023 to meet with the faculty and students. This was our first intervention into the matter,” Minister Williams said.

Laurette Adams-Thomas, head of the CPFSA, added that after the ministry’s intervention, the CPFSA dispatched a team of first responders to meet with the child’s family on Tuesday, September 26. Additionally, a CPFSA investigator, along with a manager from the Victim Support Unit and police officers from the Portland Community Outreach Department visited the family and provided them with counselling, Adams-Thomas said.

Minister Williams added that on Monday, October 2, 2023, her ministry’s Trauma Unit went to the school to meet with the principal, faculty and students and offered counselling to them.

Adams-Thomas also stated that her agency provided the necessary interventions in this case.

“When tragic incidents like this occur, the CPFSA is quick to spring into action to ensure that all necessary interventions that can be attempted or provided are done. We grieve with the members of the family, the community of Comfort Castle and the students of the primary school regarding the untimely passing of this beam of sunshine,” she said.

Adams-Thomas also said that a follow-up visit was made to the school on Tuesday, October 24 by a CPFSA investigator who spoke with the principal and enquired about the well-being of the children and teachers and offered support to them.

“The investigator also signed the school’s log book and recorded her phone number and the phone number of the CPFSA’s Portland parish team leader. She also gave both phone numbers to the principal for further follow up if needed,” added Adams-Thomas who said the agency will continue to offer whatever support that it can to the family, community and the school as they try to move forward from this very distressing loss.

Minister Williams also noted that the work of the principal in the matter is as an agent of the ministry, being employed as the head of the school and instructional leader.

The principal, she said, acts on behalf of the ministry and has a responsibility to seek the assistance of the ministry where required.

“We trust the agency of our school leaders to do what is required and not to wait to see what happens. Our school leaders are difference-makers and we rely on them to stand for the ministry and mobilise needed resources,” Williams said.