The concerns being raised regarding Methodist Agogic Centre, also known as MAC School, have now reached a level where many parents and community members believe urgent national attention and independent review are required.
This appeal is not intended to create division or attack educators. It is a call for accountability, transparency, professionalism, fairness, and stronger protection for the children of St. Maarten.
Parents, students, and concerned citizens are increasingly expressing concern about what they describe as a school environment that is failing to adequately support, protect, motivate, and uplift students academically, emotionally, socially, and physically.
This matter extends far beyond academics. It concerns the emotional well-being, dignity, safety, equality, health, and future development of children in St. Maarten.
Financial Pressure, Paid Afternoon Classes, and Educational Inequality
One of the most serious concerns involves the growing dependence on paid afternoon classes connected to teachers. Many parents report that some teachers are personally operating afternoon classes and charging as much as $350 per month per child. For many working-class families, this creates serious financial pressure, especially when parents are already struggling with the high cost of living.
Parents are already burdened with expenses related to groceries, transportation, internet, utilities, rent, school supplies, and other necessities. Many families are silently suffering while trying to ensure that their children receive the academic support they need.
There is a growing perception among parents that children whose families cannot afford these private afternoon classes are being placed at a serious academic disadvantage. Some parents fear that if their child does not attend these paid classes, the same subject taught by that teacher during regular school hours becomes more difficult, the child receives less support, or the child’s grades begin to decline.
This creates a serious conflict of interest. When the same teacher teaches a child during the school day and then charges privately after school for extra lessons in the same subject, parents may feel they have no real choice but to pay. Some parents believe that if they do not register their child for these private classes, the failing subject becomes worse and the child may eventually fail.
Even if these afternoon classes are described as separate from the official school program, the concern remains serious. Parents are asking whether these programs are properly registered, monitored, and regulated. They are also asking whether the income collected from these private classes is being properly declared and whether the Government of St. Maarten is receiving any taxes that may be legally required.
If large amounts of money are being collected monthly from parents, there must be financial transparency. This issue raises concerns about ethics, accountability, possible tax evasion, conflict of interest, and possible abuse of position.
Parents are asking an important question: Why are parents being forced to carry the burden of additional teaching costs when teachers are already being paid salaries to educate students during normal school hours?
This has created major concerns regarding fairness, equality, transparency, and public trust within the educational system.
Students With Learning Difficulties and Large Class Sizes
Parents are also deeply concerned about children with learning difficulties, learning disabilities, slower academic development, attention challenges, or emotional challenges.
Many parents feel that these students are not receiving enough support, patience, intervention, or academic assistance during the regular school day. Instead, parents often feel pressured to pay for additional afternoon classes in order for their children to keep up academically.
Families are asking: What happens to children whose parents genuinely cannot afford these additional programs?
No child should be academically disadvantaged because of his or her family’s financial situation.
Another serious concern is the size of classrooms. Many classrooms are far too large, especially for children who require additional attention or special educational support. In overcrowded classrooms, these students are often unable to function properly or receive the individual attention they need.
Children with learning challenges can easily be left behind academically, emotionally, and socially when proper support systems are not in place. Every child deserves a fair opportunity to learn in an environment where his or her needs can be recognized and supported.
Excessive Homework and Pressure on Families
Another growing concern is the amount of work being placed on students and parents after school hours.
Many parents report that children are being sent home with overwhelming amounts of homework, placing serious pressure on households. This burden becomes even more difficult for single parents, working parents, parents with limited educational backgrounds, or families managing multiple children.
Parents are asking: What happens when a parent is unable to help his or her child academically at home?
Children should not be punished, embarrassed, or academically neglected because their parents cannot function as after-school teachers.
Parents should support learning, but they should not be expected to replace proper teaching, classroom structure, or school accountability. The role of the school is to teach, guide, support, and intervene where necessary. Parents should be partners in education, not substitutes for proper classroom instruction.
Grading, Academic Communication, and Last-Minute Notifications
Serious concerns are also being raised regarding grading practices and communication with parents.
Many parents report being informed at the last minute about their child’s academic standing, failing status, or promotion concerns. Families are often left with little or no reasonable time to intervene, seek help, or support their children before critical academic decisions are finalized.
Parents believe this reflects a lack of professionalism, communication, and transparency within the educational process.
Schools should not wait until the final stage to inform parents that a child is failing, falling behind, or at risk of repeating. Academic concerns should be communicated early, clearly, and consistently so that parents and students have a fair opportunity to respond.
Emotional Treatment of Students and Fear Within the School Environment
Equally troubling are the growing complaints regarding the emotional treatment of students by certain educators.
Parents and students have reported concerns involving name-calling, humiliation, verbal put-downs, intimidation, emotional abuse, public embarrassment, favoritism, and unprofessional behavior toward students.
Instead of feeling encouraged, motivated, and supported, some students reportedly feel emotionally discouraged, targeted, humiliated, and mentally distressed by the very individuals entrusted with their development.
Some students reportedly no longer feel comfortable attending school because they fear being targeted for asking questions or requesting help. Parents also report that many children are afraid to come forward and speak the truth about incidents occurring within the school environment because they fear punishment, retaliation, embarrassment, or being treated differently afterward.
This type of fear creates a dangerous culture of silence and emotional insecurity. The constant emotional pressure placed on students can have lasting psychological effects and contributes to an unhealthy learning environment.
Bullying, Adult Supervision, and Disciplinary Accountability
Bullying in the presence of adult supervision is completely unacceptable. When an adult is assigned to supervise students, that adult has a responsibility to monitor behavior, intervene immediately, and ensure that all children are protected from physical, verbal, emotional, or online bullying.
Any incident of bullying that occurs under adult supervision should not be dismissed as “child’s play” or treated as a minor misunderstanding. Proper disciplinary action should be taken in accordance with the school’s rule book and established disciplinary procedures.
If the current school rule book does not clearly address bullying, cyberbullying, supervision failures, student safety, respect, and accountability, then the rule book should be reviewed and updated. It must clearly reflect the importance of respect for every student, teacher, staff member, and parent within the school community.
Physical bullying and online bullying are growing concerns. If these matters continue to be overlooked or minimized, the consequences could become far more serious. Schools should not wait until a child is seriously injured, traumatized, or worse before taking firm and responsible action.
Bathroom Sanitation, Health, and Student Dignity
Another serious concern involves the reported deplorable condition of the school bathrooms. Reports indicate that students have written vulgar language on the walls, urinated on the floor, defecated on the floor, and in some cases smeared feces on the walls. These conditions are unsanitary, unsafe, and completely unacceptable in any educational institution.
As a result, some students reportedly refuse to use the school bathrooms and attempt to hold themselves until they return home. In some cases, children have allegedly soiled themselves because they could no longer wait. This is not only embarrassing for the child, but also emotionally harmful and damaging to the child’s dignity.
There are also serious concerns that some teachers allegedly prevent students from using the bathroom as a form of discipline. This practice should be strongly condemned. Access to a clean, safe, and private bathroom is a basic human need, not a privilege to be removed as punishment.
The Ministry of Education and school leadership must urgently investigate the bathroom conditions, sanitation procedures, supervision, and disciplinary practices related to bathroom use. Every child deserves access to clean, safe, private, and properly maintained bathroom facilities during the school day.
Child Protection and Safeguarding Concerns
Child protection and safeguarding must remain a top priority in every school environment.
The people of St. Maarten have not forgotten previous incidents within the educational system involving educators and authority figures who were accused, investigated, arrested, or associated with inappropriate relationships involving students. These incidents deeply shocked the community and damaged public trust in the education system.
Today, many parents are questioning why afternoon school programs are not subjected to stricter monitoring, safeguarding protocols, supervision standards, and independent oversight, especially when these programs involve prolonged interaction between adults and minors outside normal school hours.
Parents fear that insufficient supervision and weak accountability may create environments where misconduct, intimidation, favoritism, exploitation, or inappropriate relationships could occur without proper detection or prevention.
Transportation and Student Safety Concerns
Student safety is another major concern being raised by parents.
Reports have surfaced alleging that children are sometimes transported in overcrowded vehicles, with excessive numbers of students packed into a single vehicle under unsafe conditions.
Parents fear that this dangerous level of overcrowding could easily result in tragedy if an accident were to occur.
Stronger transportation safety regulations and enforcement measures must be applied to any school-related or after-school program involving minors.
Leadership, Accountability, and Public Confidence
There are also growing concerns regarding school leadership, accountability, and administrative oversight.
Many parents believe that discipline, professionalism, teacher accountability, and student protection are not being adequately enforced. Concerns have also been raised regarding whether the current administration is effectively managing teacher conduct, enforcing standards, addressing complaints fairly, and restoring confidence among parents and students.
When complaints are not properly addressed, it creates frustration, fear, and a loss of confidence in the school system. Strong leadership requires clear communication, fair investigation, consistent discipline, and accountability for both students and adults who fail in their responsibilities.
Our organization has received many complaints from parents connected to MAC School. These complaints reflect growing concern that discipline, supervision, communication, sanitation, student protection, and academic fairness are not being handled with the seriousness they deserve.
Call for Immediate Independent Review
Parents and concerned citizens are respectfully calling upon the Minister of Education and relevant authorities to launch an immediate and independent review into the following matters:
The regulation and legality of private teacher-operated afternoon classes; financial transparency and possible tax compliance concerns; teacher attendance and professionalism during normal school hours; educational equality and fairness for financially disadvantaged students; support systems for students with learning difficulties or disabilities; homework practices and parental academic burdens; grading transparency and parent communication procedures; teacher conduct and allegations of emotional abuse; bullying, cyberbullying, and disciplinary procedures; bathroom sanitation and student dignity; access to bathroom facilities during the school day; child protection and safeguarding protocols involving minors; transportation safety and overcrowding concerns; and administrative accountability and leadership oversight within the school.
Recommendations to the Ministry of Education
In light of the concerns being raised by parents, students, and members of the community, we respectfully recommend that the Ministry of Education take immediate action to protect students, restore public confidence, and strengthen accountability within MAC School and the wider education system.
First, the Ministry should appoint an independent review team to investigate the complaints being raised by parents and students. This review should examine student safety, teacher conduct, supervision, bullying, communication with parents, grading practices, private afternoon programs, bathroom sanitation, transportation safety, and the overall learning environment.
Second, the Ministry should require the school to review its disciplinary policy and rule book. Bullying, cyberbullying, physical intimidation, verbal abuse, harassment, and supervision failures must be clearly addressed with firm consequences. Adults assigned to supervise students must also be held accountable when they fail to intervene, document, or report incidents properly.
Third, the Ministry should ensure that all school-related programs involving children are properly supervised, registered, and monitored. This includes regular school hours, after-school classes, transportation arrangements, and any private educational programs connected to teachers or school staff.
Fourth, the Ministry should review and regulate paid afternoon classes operated by teachers. There should be clear rules regarding registration, pricing, teacher involvement, tax compliance, conflict of interest, student safety, and academic fairness.
Fifth, the Ministry should work with the relevant tax authorities to determine whether income collected from private teacher-operated afternoon classes is being properly reported. If teachers are charging monthly fees from multiple students, there must be accountability to ensure that all legal financial obligations are being met.
Sixth, the Ministry should establish clear conflict-of-interest rules preventing teachers from using their regular classroom position to pressure parents into paying for private lessons. No parent should feel that a child’s success, grades, or treatment depends on whether they can afford to pay the same teacher privately after school.
Seventh, the Ministry should require schools to provide proper academic intervention during normal school hours, especially for students who are struggling. Support should be based on student need, not on a parent’s ability to pay.
Eighth, the Ministry should urgently review class sizes, especially in classrooms with students who have learning difficulties, attention challenges, emotional challenges, or special educational needs. Larger classes should be supported with trained teacher assistants or learning support officers.
Ninth, the Ministry should require schools to communicate academic concerns to parents early and clearly. There should be strict deadlines for entering grades, notifying parents, and providing intervention plans before final promotion decisions are made.
Tenth, the Ministry should review homework practices to ensure that excessive schoolwork is not being pushed onto parents at home. The main responsibility for teaching must remain within the classroom during official school hours.
Eleventh, the Ministry should reinforce professional standards for all educators. Name-calling, humiliation, intimidation, favoritism, verbal put-downs, and emotional mistreatment should not be tolerated in any classroom.
Twelfth, the Ministry should create or strengthen a confidential complaint system where parents and students can report concerns without fear of victimization. Complaints should be documented, investigated, and followed up within a reasonable timeframe.
Thirteenth, the Ministry should urgently inspect bathroom facilities at MAC School and establish clear minimum standards for cleanliness, maintenance, privacy, and student access. Bathroom access should never be used as a disciplinary measure.
Fourteenth, the Ministry should conduct regular audits of school operations, including discipline records, attendance patterns, grading timelines, classroom support systems, after-school programs, transportation safety, financial transparency, bathroom sanitation, and child protection procedures.
These actions are necessary to identify problems early, protect students, and restore confidence in the education system.
Final Appeal
The people of St. Maarten are not asking for conflict or division. They are asking for transparency, accountability, professionalism, fairness, stronger student protection, equal educational opportunity, proper sanitation, and respectful treatment of children.
No child should feel unsafe, emotionally humiliated, financially disadvantaged, academically neglected, pressured into paid programs, denied bathroom access, or afraid to ask for help within an educational environment.
The future of St. Maarten depends on the integrity, quality, professionalism, cleanliness, safety, and accountability of its schools.
The concerns being raised by parents deserve immediate, independent, and professional attention before confidence in the educational system is damaged even further.
Respectfully,
Parents and Residents of St. Maarten
