With watery eyes glancing occasionally into an open Bible, Alexandra School principal Jeff Broomes said he could not recall all that happened last year but knew that, even though his late mother was very ill, the issue of fourth formers not being taught had impacted him greatly.
Recalling the events surrounding science department head Amaida Greaves that led to his December 2, 2011 speech day accusations – described as the last straw by some 30 teachers who went on strike a month later – Broomes said he had spoken to Greaves since the first week of the April-June 2011 term but she had refused to teach, even after he wrote her on May 24.
“I’m not going to pretend that May to June 2011 [was] easy in my life, sir. That was when the cancer started to make a greater impact on my mother, from which she eventually died,” he said in a faltering voice, before bowing his head, removing his spectacles and drying his eyes.
Glancing at the swearing-in Bible open before him, Broomes again told the packed commission room at the Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex that he could not remember all that had occurred at the time, but the non-teaching of Form 4A1 “impacted” him.
