Parent relieved as health authorities shutter Cornwall College’s canteen
Published:Friday | February 21, 2025 | 12:10 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
News that the St James Public Health Services shut down the canteen at Cornwall College in Montego Bay over health concerns was met with praise from a parent who expressed relief that the authorities had finally intervened.
“I have two sons there and both have gotten sick on multiple occasions after eating bad food at the canteen, and they were not alone. I know several of their friends who have suffered a similar fate,” said the parent who asked not to be identified to protect his sons from a possible backlash.
Face-to-face classes at the boys’ school were suspended on Thursday morning and the students were sent home to attend classes online.
Lennox Wallace, the head of the St James Health Services, confirmed that the canteen was closed because of health violations that required immediate action to ensure the food being served met proper health standards.
“It gives us no pleasure to order the canteen closed, but we basically had no choice ... . We were trying our best to work through the issues with the school but we were not getting anywhere with that,” said Wallace. “We had no choice but to close the canteen to ensure the safety of the students.”
Wallace assured that the school’s management understands what needs to be done to resolve the issue and that the health department is ready to assist.
“We are ready to work with them to get things right, because we understand the importance of having the boys in school and not having their education disrupted,” said Wallace. “If the situation is rectified today (Thursday), we stand ready to give them the green light to reopen the canteen tomorrow (Friday).”
The parent who spoke to The Gleaner explained that he had previously raised the issue with the health department after unsuccessful attempts to address the matter with the school’s administration and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).
“School is home away from home for the children, so I expect the school to ensure that they are operating in a safe and healthy environment,” the parent said. “I tried my best to protect the image of the school by speaking to the administration on numerous visits, but my efforts failed to get them to act, so I had to go public ... . I was no longer prepared to stand by and see the children being exposed to the unhealthy situation there.”
The Gleaner made several attempts to reach Cornwall College’s principal, Michael Ellis, but calls to his phone went unanswered.