The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information has assigned grief counsellors to the May Day High School in Manchester to provide support to students and staff, following the tragic death of 14-year-old student, Lakeea Thompson.
The grade-eight student died on Friday (February 6) after being struck by a reversing bus on the May Day main road.
State Minister, Hon. Rhoda Moy Crawford, who visited the institution on Monday (February 9) to offer condolences and support to students, staff and parents, appealed for motorists to look out for children traversing the roadways.
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our transport operators to have greater care of duty when we use our roads. We have to be more vigilant and just to remind the students of May Day High School to be mindful of the safety protocols that are in place for their own safety,” she said.
Miss Crawford, who is also Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, said she intends to have discussions with the National Works Agency (NWA) about installing sidewalks along the DeCarteret corridor as a safety measure.
“I will have to speak to the NWA to see the possibilities but, in the meantime, we want to encourage students to desist from making the walk there,” she said.
“There are areas that we expect the students to stand and wait for transportation. This may be an opportunity to advocate for an additional bus for May Day High School, because the principal would have indicated to us that the parents have been taking up the use of the school bus system,” she noted.
Speaking with Lakeea’s eighth-grade classmates, Miss Crawford urged them to take the time to grieve and to also cherish the memories of their friend.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, especially if you were very close to her. It’s going to be very natural and normal for you to be very angry. We don’t know why it happened; we just know it’s unfortunate that it happened, and it will take some time for things to get back to normal for some of you,” she noted.
“I would encourage you to cherish the memories. Hold them close to your heart. Don’t be afraid to talk to your teachers, your friends and family members about how you are feeling,” she encouraged.
Miss Crawford also expressed sincere condolences to the family of four-year-old Saniyah O’Brien, who was killed on Sunday (February 8) when the car in which she was travelling with her father was attacked by gunmen in Land Settlement in Williamsfield.
Principal of May Day High School, Stanford Davis, said the school community is shaken by the untimely loss of Lakeea.
“We are mourning the loss of our student, Lakeea Thompson, but at the same time, we’re going to use it as a means of ensuring that we work together with our Ministry… our school board [and our community] to ensure that we put things in place and get the cooperation of everyone,” he said.
“We need to get back to the situation where the village raises our children, and provide the love, care and support,” Mr. Davis said, thanking the Ministry, the police and others who have reached out to the school.
