Sundial teachers irked
over towing of vehicle
PHILIPSBURG--A Sundial School teacher is infuriated after being reportedly laughed at by a member of the School Board for Secondary Education Foundation SVOBE after she presented him with a bill to be reimbursed for the towing of her vehicle in the vicinity of the school recently.
The incident, which occurred days before teachers throughout the world celebrate World Teachers Day, has irked Sundial’s teaching body, which has since thrown its support behind its disgruntled colleague and has called on the board to act responsibly.
The teachers have also written a letter to the school’s management expressing their dissatisfaction with the way the matter was handled and threatening to step up their actions should the board fail to resolve the matter.
SVOBE Executive Director Joseph Rogers said the teacher in question would be reimbursed, considering the circumstances in which the incident occurred. He said though that teachers shouldn’t park their vehicles in areas from where they risked being towed away.
Sundial Principal Mireille Regales told The Daily Herald on Wednesday that she had received a letter from teachers about the towing incident. She said the teacher had informed her that parking space hadn’t been available in the parking lot in the school compound so, to be on time for her classroom lessons, she had opted to park outside the school premises.
To the teacher’s surprise, when she returned for her vehicle she realised it had been towed.
The teacher reportedly settled the towing fee and presented the bill to the board for reimbursement, but instead of receiving the reimbursement she had expected, she reportedly was laughed at. This reaction infuriated the teacher, who subsequently received the support of her colleagues.
A section of the school’s parking lot has been cordoned off due to construction work and Sundial teachers have been upset since last week. They claimed that they hadn’t been informed about the construction work at the school or informed that it would affect their parking spaces. Regales said the teachers thought the action had been “sprung upon” them.
She promised to raise the matter in the next management meeting. Asked whether she supported the teachers’ action, Regales said she understood the board’s position, but she also understood the teachers’ frustrations.
She said an additional gate at the school had been opened to create additional parking space, but noted that the area was muddy, especially after Wednesday’s downpour, and the school would have to obtain gravel to improve it.
“The teachers are all standing together with their colleague in this matter because of the parking situation,” said Regales. “It’s a situation that they were thrown into and no proper arrangements were made. The teachers don’t usually park outside, but because of the situation, it was done.”
Regales said the entire situation was also affecting students. “Students are picking up the vibes and they feel what is happening. They realise that it’s a tense situation and it’s affecting them.”
