New THA Secretary of Education, Research and Technology Zorisha Hackett had a baptism of fire on Friday when her division had to respond to a violent confrontation involving boys from the Scarborough Secondary School and several young men.

The confrontation, which was captured on video and posted on Facebook, happened at the bottom of the hill leading to the school.

In the one-minute footage, students were seen running for cover as one of the young men wielded a cutlass. Another had a knife. Police on patrol in the area later stopped the fight.

In a statement, the division said it was aware of the incident involving the students and members of the public.

It said in response, Hackett took immediate steps to contact the parents of the students involved.

The division added representatives of the Student Support Services Unit of the Department of Education were also brought in to meet with the students to alleviate both short- and long-term effects. They are expected also to engage in trauma and post-traumatic strategies over the next couple of weeks.

The division said it “condemned these acts of violence perpetrated against our students and understands the gravity of the situation.”

It said the school supervision unit is awaiting the reports and “will ensure that the matter is dealt with appropriately.”

The division said it remains committed to maintaining a safe environment for all staff and students at its educational institutions.

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