Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald discussed emails involving Save the Bays in Parliament last year.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
MINISTRY of Education officials have never had reason to question the character and leadership of an Andros high school principal convicted of manslaughter more than 30 years ago, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald said yesterday.
He was speaking to the press two days after The Tribune revealed exclusively that North Andros High School principal Stephen Sands is an ex-convict who spent eight years in prison after killing his girlfriend.
Noting that Mr Sands entered the teaching profession in 1996 during the first Ingraham administration, Mr Fitzgerald said an investigation into his record is already underway to determine the circumstances that allowed him into the system.
“What I can tell you is that since I saw the report in the paper I have asked a report to be prepared for me of the history of Mr Sands in the school system,” Mr Fitzgerald said, adding: “But I can tell you that I know so far that he was employed in January of 1996, so he’s been in the school system some 17 years. He’s held various positions throughout the Bahamas, including various Family Islands, including North Andros where he taught as an English Language teacher for many years. And through the years he has risen through the ranks and gone all the way to principal.
“He has a record that is impeccable from our point of view. We have no adverse concerns or issues with regards to him. During the time when he was employed, the vetting process was not as stringent as it is now. But having said that, we’ve had no concerns with Mr Sands through the system. I will know more concerning his interview process and so forth when I go through his file, but as it stands now those are the facts that I know of.”
Mr Fitzgerald was also asked to respond to claims by Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) president Belinda Wilson, who yesterday said that when concerns about Mr Sands were raised while he was a principal of a school in Bimini, her union gave a written report to him and Education Director Lionel Sands, recommending that Mr Sands be transferred to the Ministry of Education’s head office.
In response, the Minister said: “I don’t know about any report President Wilson is talking about. There are many recommendations made over the years concerning different principals for different reasons. I’m not going to get into it because every year, I have at least 20 or 30 principals I have some sort of concern about. But the Ministry of Education would listen to concerns from the public, from the parents and from the community as well as any concerns that would be made by the union and we would make a decision based on that. But as I said to you before, the gentlemen in question, I don’t want us to go and destroy this man’s character any further than has been done. As I said, he has an exemplary record within the Ministry of Education and an exemplary record from what we can see. I don’t want to get too far ahead of where we need to be. I want to make sure I understand all the circumstances concerning his employment.”
Asked if the Ministry has a policy concerning ex-convicts, the Minister said: “I’ve taken a very strong stance with regard to vetting, but the vetting process in place now is not the same as it was years ago. (Stephen Sands) would’ve gone to the Public Services Commission. I still want to have a better understanding of what that process was when he went and what disclosures were made at that point.”
When asked, the Minister said he is “not aware of any teachers” within the profession “with past convictions.” When asked a similar question last week, Education Director Lionel Sands said: “We have persons in our sectors who have been charged. A determination has to be made whether they could serve in a new capacity and do so effectively.”
Asked if officials will revist the profiles of teachers employed for more than a selected period, Mr Fitzgerald said: “I don’t know if we are going to go that far. We’ve instituted a vetting process now that is very rigorous and that is a sign of the times. And if there is any complaint about any teacher or principal or any staff within the school system, we have procedures that allows us to deal with those swiftly and make recommendations for those persons to be withdrawn from the system. We continue to be very vigilant with regard to any complaint no matter how minor it is because the safety of our children, of course, is our paramount concern and responsibility and so we take that very seriously.”
Comments
Thinker 10 years ago
I'm sure he's great at what his profession is but that's neither here nor there. I'm so sick of government officials defending these people with poor morals who are supposed to either represent or teach the community.
Thinker 10 years ago
Character has much to do with what a man has proven capable of.
birdiestrachan 10 years ago
This all happened 30 years ago. It appears he has lived a good life ever since .He spent his time in Jail. It is time to let it go now. He must be a good teacher.. and has done something good to remain in the system for 17 Years .. In spite of the wrong he did. He has a gift for teaching. I will bet the Children has nothing against him.
Why was the story even bought to the press? a thirty year old story..
ohdrap4 10 years ago
birdie, do you get paid to post here? If yes, let me know so i can get such appointment. :))
newcitizen 10 years ago
Birdie is just a troll, and we shouldn't feed the trolls.
Bahamianpride 10 years ago
Resign your Post Minister Fitzgerald, that's the most idiotic statement ever.. P.M sees nothing wrong with calling bank for friend, Minister of education sees nothing wrong with a convicted murderer being principle.. This is why we are so plagued with crime, when so called educated people & leaders have no morals or standard what do we expect from the street. That principle must be very connected
realfreethinker 10 years ago
He never addressed the real question of whether a convicted killer should be teaching. And as usual the first comment is the other government hired him.BLAME THE OTHER GUYS
Bahamianpride 10 years ago
Birdiestrachan if the devil was a PLP u would be on his team talking about how we have characterized him wrong. Its not about forgiveness its about trust and standards. He can be one of the best people ever but he should not get to hold a position of public trust because of a criminal record period. If i knew him i would probably be in support of him but objectively we must have standards to eliminate personal bias. Without standards we are all screwed.. What's next a convicted child molester from 30 years ago wants to open a day care, maybe they changed but are u willing to put our kids at risk on some hope & forgiveness. That child molester could make the argument, well u let a convicted murder be principle why can't i open a day care I have not molester in 30 years i change.. I say screw that lets not open Pandora's box of dysfunction.
realfreethinker 10 years ago
Dysfunction is the order of the day with our government
birdiestrachan 10 years ago
Take a deep breath the man was hired in 1996 the FNM was in power. The point is he has been doing a good job ever since. that is why he was promoted to Head Master. Do you feel any better since you now know the FNM gave him his job.
ThisIsOurs 10 years ago
Great, now you should be able to look at the situation clearly. Someone convicted of a violent act against a woman should not be in a leadership position in this country
Does the public service application form ask if you were ever convicted of a crime?
ThisIsOurs 10 years ago
Clarify, leadership position in the public service, if it's a private enterprise it's acceptable
ohdrap4 10 years ago
Actually it does, and teachers are required to fill such form. It is online and you can see for yourself:
Have you ever been convicted by any court in the Bahamas or elsewhere? If so, give particulars. Answer yes or no.
sheeprunner12 10 years ago
OK, so the question is: who was he connected to in 1983????????1986??????????? 2010????????? Thats what has to be investigated.
His official files will be scrubbed or missing by the time they reach the top.
This is The Bahamas.................. DUH!!!!!!!!!!
TalRussell 10 years ago
Ding Dong Comrade minister is there an even louder "alarm bell" than 30 years?
BahamianAway 10 years ago
All this does it validate that actions do not carry consequences should enough time elapse. Who is to say what this man's character is, his own daughter has attested to the fact that he is a change man, HOWEVER; that does not negate the fact that he is a convicted criminal. It is great that he has attempted to be a productive member of society and did not fall into a life of repeated criminal offences as so many do, but should he be the principal of a school?
Clearly there is a disconnect with the government and what is right for The Bahamas...someone needs to make them a handbook cause they are way off the reservation.
ThisIsOurs 10 years ago
Thought the same, they don't seem to have any standard. You can deviate slightly from a standard given a particular scenario, but when you don't stand on anything, anything goes....
TheMadHatter 10 years ago
I guess everyone is upset that he isn't a repeat criminal like most Bahamians. He should have learned to be a failure - a great example to set for kids. What's wrong with most people on here?
sheeprunner12 10 years ago
TO ALL OF MY FELLOW CONTRIBUTORS:
What quality or characteristic disqualifies Mr. Sands from being a civil servant ............ after he had been charged, convicted and sentenced for manslaughter???????????
Or is teaching a special "civil service" job??????????
If that was the case the Government would have established the Teachers Service Commission by now.................... SMH
Was he charged with a crime against a child/young person????????? Was he a pedophile?????????
Please quote the General Orders or Public Service section that disqualifies him.
Until then.......................... he has paid his dues for his crime. Lets move on.
ThisIsOurs 10 years ago
I can see him trying to discipline a young man now..."You can't tell me nothing, you already kill somebody"...character notwithstanding that is the fact...give him another post to show that you are willing to give him a chance, but the post of principal is a thousand times unsuitable.
TalRussell 10 years ago
To the best of my recollection the minister and one ministry official have spoken out on this matter, yet both have basically pleaded the fifth about anything to do with Comrade Stephen. It is apparent from the testimonials of his son and daughter that their father has led an high quality of life since serving his 30 year prison sentence and that is good but with each revelation it now appears that the ministry of education officials have long been ignoring this issue, despite parents voicing their objections to Stephen being posted at more than one school. I would like to hear the minister and his officials voice, that they indeed take a "dead woman" seriously and not treat it like its some shoplifting charge which occurred during one's youth.
Bahamianpride 10 years ago
Sheeprunner12, u cannot subjectively apply those standards. To say he paid his dues then u must apply the same standard to all that have paid there dues and grant them the same opportunity regardless of crimes committed. Then all criminals are allowed to apply and be granted trust positions in public service as long as they paid their dues accordingly. So if a individual raped someone 30 years ago and has lived a outstanding life since then we should not disqualify him from being a teacher or principle. What about someone convicted of embezzling money 30 years ago should they now be able to become minister of finance or school treasurer. Can these individuals then say, u hired a convicted murderer, i just raped someone or molested someone, he killed someone so how can he qualify for a job. Now do u see where we are going.. Our Criminal history has to be a factor otherwise our system would be infested with ex criminals.
BahamianAway 10 years ago
Totally agree....furthermore people must learn that actions have consequences. So what if it happened 30yrs ago fact of that matter is it happened and for that he should always be held accountable. That would then open the doors to "if I commit a crime in my youth then when I am older the record is expunged". What about a person who didn't kill their girlfriend and is qualified to be a principal, should that person not have some edge on the person who did kill his girlfriend. Point is it's called a record for a reason...for people to know what you did and to handle a person accordingly. Furthermore it isn't as though he is working as an accountant or a photographer the man is functioning as a PRINCIPAL!!! As if Bahamian students aren't already working from behind they are being led by an ex-convict.
SMH!!!!
ThisIsOurs 10 years ago
Or tax collector even...
sheeprunner12 10 years ago
Soooooooooooo, do you think there are NO other persons working in the civil service with criminal records prior to their application??????
DO YOU WANT TO OPEN THIS CAN OF WORMS????????????
THIS IS AN ISSUE WORTHY OF A REAL INVESTIGATION
ThisIsOurs 10 years ago
We actually want persons like this man. We will always have people who for whatever reason are sentenced to prison. We want them to be remorseful and to reflect on what they've done. When they leave prison we want them to change their behavior and to contribute. So him being employed is a good thing. That's what we want as a society. But he has forever lost the trust that would allow him to have this particular position.
Bahamianpride 10 years ago
In the U.S Liability would take care of this. No public entity would take this risk. Could u imagine the lawsuit if anything happen to those kids or anyone under his care..
TalRussell 10 years ago
Comrade Bahamianpride few, if any, feel Comrade Stephen presents a physical threat to the safety of his school's students. My only issue is, why has the concerns of parents, over more than one posting, been ignored by officials, in both the PLP and FNM governments? Parents have their own concerns and for years no minister or government officials have listened. Personally speaking, if Stephen had applied to a company I owned or held sizable shares, I would have hired him in a second, but not if it was school.
BahamianAway 10 years ago
And that is the crux of the matter, they hired an ex-criminal to run a school. There are certain jobs that should be off-limits to persons that have served time for a serious offence (and murder is serious) regardless of why or how long ago the offence was committed.
Being a pastor of a church, being a school teacher or any jobs that place in you in close proximity to children for long periods, being a member of parliament, etc...
sheeprunner12 10 years ago
Here we go with typical Bahamian hypocrisy......... he could do this but he cant do that................. dont use American standards here............ we are governed by Bahamian/British law, culture and mores.... for what its worth
ThisIsOurs 10 years ago
Exactly Tal, a private company is free to hire whomever they like to whatever position, their contribution to the bottom line will dictate whether they remain in the position. This position is clearly unsuitable, it's a travesty...put him in another position.
242in404 10 years ago
Simply being convicted of a crime doesn't stop a person from getting a "second chance" at life. But what that person was convicted of DEFINITELY determines what kind of future employment that person can get. In the U.S., for example, a person who has been convicted of any kind of theft, fraud, money laundering, etc. will almost never be able to get a job in any financial field that would require them to have access to any monies of a company or the public---but that person could probably after some time become a teacher, perhaps. Just as someone who has been convicted of a crime that is considered a violent crime, i.e. caused bodily harm or took the life of someone will never be able to get a job where that person is in control of the WELFARE of the public, including children. This man, just by the crime of his past, should have never been given a job that involves being responsible of the welfare of ANYONE. There are plenty of jobs he could be doing, even if it is in a office role for the Ministry of Education, but he should not be responsible for children. Period.
TalRussell 10 years ago
No parent has made a request to any minister or government official for Comrade Stephen to be denied employment within the government and that sounds like they have been quite reasonable. The honourable step for Comrade Stephen to take, is to immediately and formally make a written request to the minister for reassignment, because both he and the minister, as well as the parents, must know this matter is never going to go away.
sheeprunner12 10 years ago
I agree................. given the slow speed at which Govt wheels turn
TalRussell 10 years ago
Get out while you can and enjoy your family. I would think after you add up all the years in question, Stephen has be nearing that ripe government retirement age? Comrade what is there about this PM Christie administration which makes this cabinet to become so damn inspirational for making something so seemingly simple… so drawn-out complex?
CarreiL 10 years ago
What disqualifies him is that he has been convicted and working in school? We don't know the circumstances around how he killed his girlfriend and why ( there is never a reason to take someone else life.), whose to say he won't get angry or loss his temper again? For example if a young man was convicted of having a joint he will not be able to get a job, that would follow him everywhere, but someone who commits murder is not scorned on? His actions should follow him, how does the young lady family feel, someone took your love one, and now there just living enjoying there lives, whose to say that a family member of the lady is not attending that school..and there is a big difference from the man being a teacher to being the head of a school and in charge others.
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