Ban lifted on PTA members (From Haringey Independent)

Ban lifted on PTA members

10:00am Thursday 15th January 2009 in Top Stories By Charlotte Gray

TWO members of a parent teacher association who were banned from entering a Tottenham school have had their injunctions lifted.

Haringey Council took out court orders against members of the John Loughborough School Parent Teachers' Association in March last year after a protest at the school.

Chairman of the PTA Njeri Yebiemen and their advisor, Brother Mandla Mbandaka, were banned from entering the premises after they organised a demonstration on February 25 last year over the sacking of the school's headteacher, Dr June Alexis.

However after almost a year of fighting the PTA through the courts, the council has decided to drop its injunction proceedings.

A council spokesman said: “It is essential that every school is allowed to be run without disruption. That is why we sought the injunctions. The injunctions have served their purpose and we have now written to the court and the individuals concerned notifying them that we have decided to discontinue the injunction proceedings.”

Mr Mandla blamed sacked director of children’s services Sharon Shoesmith for the injunction. He said: “The injunction was the political act of the former director, Sharon Shoesmith, who was sacked and disgraced for her poor judgement, among other things.

“The council’s intervention, led by the disgraced Sharon Shoesmith, has been inappropriate and disruptive, which is what led to our peaceful protest as stakeholders.

“The local authority is clearly embarrassed about the recent turn of events and is more concerned with saving face rather than telling the truth as to why it lifted the injunction.”

The PTA had protested at the suspension of former headteacher of the Seventh Day Adventist School, Dr Alexis, last year. The council replaced her with an interim executive board and new headteacher Oveta McInnis.

Ms Yebiemen said the campaign to reinstate Dr Alexis and recognise her good work will continue. She said: “The PTA along with friends and founder members of John Loughborough School will continue in their quest for the reinstatement of Dr Alexis and a just education in a school that was given to us by the Seventh Day Adventist grassroots membership.

“The PTA pays homage to their bold initiative and their blood sweat and tears that built our school.”

A council spokesman added: “We will work with the police to ensure that any further disruption by protestors is challenged.

“We have been supporting the school since early 2007 in order to help it achieve significant improvement. A recovery programme for the school was put in place resulting in good progress in GCSE results this year. We will continue to work closely with the school.”