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Dellwood staff concerns to be addressed

Dellwood Middle School (Photograph by Akil Simmons)

Concerns raised by staff at Dellwood Middle School are being addressed, according to a government spokeswoman.Staff at the school had indicated in a letter sent on Monday that they are working to rule over issues “related to staffing, instructional areas, supplies, IT and the physical facility”.A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said work to repair damage caused by Hurricane Humberto are ongoing, as are efforts to fill vacant posts.She said: “Teachers at the school expressed concerns that they have had to cover art, math and social studies classes while three teachers are identified to fill the posts. “The department has advised that substitute teachers have been secured for the school until the art teacher is confirmed; the social studies teacher returns next week; and the math teacher arrives on the island after the October break.“Teachers also expressed concerns that some of them have had to share classrooms. Technical officers from the Department of Education met with the Dellwood school leadership to review the school schedules and adjustments to the schedules are currently being carried out to alleviate challenges experienced as a result of shared instructional spaces.”Ceiling repairs in the design and technology room have been completed and an air conditioner in the server room has been serviced.Meanwhile a damaged window in the business room has been secured and a replacement window has been ordered.All other air-conditioning units that were identified as inoperable have been assessed and replacement parts will be installed between Monday and Friday.Government has also worked to address a series of complaints about IT at the school. The spokeswoman said:• The department has made plans to fully upgraded the system to a new fibre-optic network, to be completed by next week• 90 per cent of staff who did not have computers as of October 3 now have computers. It is expected that all staff who were identified as not having a computer will have access to a computer by Monday• All printers are online besides one multifunctioning machine. All printers are expected to be operational by Monday• The phone system upgrade scheduled to occur at the start of the school year has been completed and 95 per cent of all staff have a new handset and access to telephone services. IT officers are working with the principal’s office to determine a plan for the other 5 per cent, and it is expected that all staff will have access to telephone services by Monday.