St Luke’s Brighton Primary School Closure for Air Quality Tests Amid Odour Concerns

There will be no classes at St Luke’s Brighton Primary School on Tuesday while air quality tests are done at the Melverton, St George institution which was forced to close early for the second time this term due to environmental issues.

The Ministry of Education said the closure on Monday came after complaints of a potent odour that left some of the school’s occupants “experiencing burning eyes, itchy throat, itchy skin and a bitter taste in the mouth”.

Ministry officials visited the scene after staff and pupils were relocated to a nearby car park. Following consultations, the decision was made to close the school for the remainder of the day.

“During interviews with those who were on the site from the morning, it was revealed that the scent was at its strongest during the early parts of this morning,” the ministry said. “Tests will be performed tomorrow morning, October 15, to glean further information on the air quality. Therefore, there will be no in-person classes tomorrow.”

President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell expressed satisfaction with the ministry’s swift response and called for a thorough investigation into the source of the odour.

“The BUT is hopeful that the matter can be speedily resolved,” Lovell said. “We note this is the second time for the term that this school was impacted by an obnoxious odour and we want a thorough investigation done in identifying where the odour may be coming from.”

Noting that the ministry sent an industrial hygienist to carry out tests, he added: “We welcome the fact that the ministry is seeking to find out what is affecting the school.”

Parents and guardians collecting their children expressed concern about their wards’ well-being.

One parent who arrived at the school around 10:30 a.m. said: “I was concerned but I put two and two together and I told myself it got to be the [odour] because whenever the rain falls this happens.”

A grandparent voiced longer-term concerns: “I’ve been told about a number of situations that have been plaguing the St Luke’s Primary School for a long time and being here to collect my grandchild, I have been told that the teachers were experiencing burning in their eyes and face and a lot of them were sick. They were complaining for a long time and nothing was done.”

The grandparent added: “Hopefully some action would be taken for the children, cause for a little while, I have been called to pick him up due to respiratory conditions and I don’t think that based on the time it was happening, it could have come from something stirring in the air. I think the conditions would have to be pretty bad for this to be happening.”