SINT MAARTEN — The Windward Islands Teachers’ Union (WITU) is calling for urgent clarity and renewed action regarding the health and safety conditions at the Marie Genevieve de Weever School, after troubling classroom conditions were brought to light despite previous inspection, a Stop Work Order, and a formal Directive issued in 2025.
This matter cannot be reduced to a simple maintenance concern. It raises a larger and more uncomfortable question about how health and safety matters in schools are followed up, verified, and communicated once official action has been taken.
In October 2025, WITU requested an urgent health and safety inspection at the Marie Genevieve de Weever School due to serious concerns regarding pigeon infestation, unsanitary conditions, and possible health risks to staff and students. The Labor Inspectorate conducted an inspection on November 3, 2025. An Inspectorate Report was issued on November 5, 2025, identifying several serious concerns, including pigeon infestation, accumulation of pigeon droppings, water damage, possible mold risk, exposed or damaged electrical fixtures, damaged staircases, unstable railings, cracks in balcony walls and supporting structures, and roof deterioration.
A Stop Work Order was also issued on November 5, 2025 for affected classrooms and areas due to exposed bird droppings and suspected contaminated air. This was followed by a Directive issued on November 7, 2025, which required specific corrective actions within clear deadlines.
The Directive included, among other measures, the removal of pigeon droppings, the use of proper protective equipment by cleaning personnel, the installation of bird deterrents, the sealing of possible entry points to prevent rodents and pests, an indoor air quality assessment, structural repairs, safety improvements, preventive maintenance, and staff training.
During a meeting held at the Marie Genevieve de Weever School on Monday, June 8, 2026, WITU was informed that the Stop Work Order had been lifted. However, the conditions reported and observed have raised serious concern. Several classrooms, particularly on the lower levels, remain in a deplorable condition. Some classrooms are missing window panels, leaving the rooms exposed to outside elements and making it possible for rodents, pests, and other hazards to enter.
WITU finds this difficult to understand.
If a school was inspected, placed under intensified supervision, issued a Directive, and later had a Stop Work Order lifted, the public should be able to trust that the matter was not only addressed on paper, but fully resolved in practice.
When classrooms remain exposed after such a process, the issue is no longer only about broken windows or unfinished repairs. It points to a possible breakdown in the system responsible for ensuring that corrective measures are completed, verified, and sustained. WITU therefore believes that this matter requires clear coordination between the Labor Inspectorate, the Ministry of Education, DPE, and school management. While the Stop Work Order and Directive fall under the authority of the Labor Inspectorate, the responsibility for ensuring that schools are safe, properly maintained, and suitable for teaching and learning cannot rest on one office alone.
WITU is therefore seeking clarity on how the Stop Work Order could have been lifted while classrooms, particularly on the lower levels, reportedly remain exposed due to missing window panels and other unresolved conditions. The union wants to know whether all classrooms were included in the inspection and follow-up process, whether the required corrective measures were completed and verified, and whether the monthly inspections and unannounced visits referred to in the Directive were actually carried out.
WITU is careful not to cast blame without the full facts. However, the union cannot ignore the seriousness of what has now come to light. A system that allows a school to move from a Stop Work Order to continued classroom exposure is a system that must be questioned.
WITU also encourages all teachers, whether they are members of the union or not, to stand up for their right to work in a safe and healthy environment. This right is not a favor. It is a basic standard of dignity in the workplace and is in keeping with the principles reflected in ILO Convention No. 155 on Occupational Safety and Health and the Working Environment, as well as the broader recognition of a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work.
At the same time, WITU strongly urges all teachers to address these matters responsibly. Concerns should be documented clearly, supported with photographs where possible, and submitted in writing to the respective school managers in keeping with the established communication protocol.
If the concerns are not addressed within a reasonable time, or if the conditions continue to pose a risk to health and safety, the matter should then be escalated to the competent authority. Proper documentation protects workers, strengthens the process, and ensures that serious concerns cannot be dismissed as rumors, exaggeration, or hearsay.
WITU has written to the Labor Inspectorate requesting urgent clarity regarding the lifting of the Stop Work Order, the status of the required corrective measures, and whether follow-up inspections, including unannounced visits, were conducted. WITU is also requesting that the Inspectorate urgently revisit the school, with specific attention to the lower-level classrooms, missing window panels, possible rodent and pest access, air quality, sanitation, structural safety, and overall compliance with the November 7, 2025 Directive.
This situation should concern every stakeholder in education. No teacher should have to work in questionable conditions. No student should have to learn in them. No parent should have to wonder whether a classroom is truly safe after official intervention has already taken place.
WITU maintains that health and safety in schools must not depend on repeated complaints, frustration, or public pressure before action is taken. There must be a reliable system of inspection, follow-up, accountability, and communication.
While WITU will continue to monitor this specific matter at the Marie Genevieve de Weever School, the union remains committed to advocating for safe, healthy, and dignified working and learning environments in every school.
