Sealy: I sent home 100 students

Matthew Farley isn’t the only principal of the Graydon Sealy Secondary School who had to send home students for uniform breaches.
The man, after whom the school was named, told the WEEKEND NATION yesterday that he also had to send students home for similar reasons shortly after he took up the reins of the school.
Graydon Sealy said in 1976, about a year after the school had been opened, he had to send home 100 students from the then Garrison Secondary School, because they were not wearing the correct brown school shoes.
“We had met in Parent-Teacher Association [PTA] meetings and agreed with what the school requires, brown shoes . . . . We urged the parents to please try and cooperate with us. We knew there could be some difficulties with shoes, for instance, and a parent may not be able to get a new pair of shoes in a week or whatever.
“We asked them please when there is a problem to send the child to school. If it is not in the correct uniform, the prescribed uniform, send it to school still with a letter asking that the child be excused. We wanted the child to be at school,” he said, noting it was the only time he had to take such action. (CM)