KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Campion College says it is “cooperating fully with relevant authorities” after a student was killed when a football goalpost fell on him on Tuesday.
“The school is cooperating fully with relevant authorities regarding this incident. Out of respect for the family’s privacy and due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot provide additional details at this time,” Champion College chairman Anton Thompson said in a statement.
The second-form student, Rashad Richards, was taken to the University Hospital of the West Indies where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
“Our immediate focus is on supporting our students, staff and, most importantly, Rashad’s family during this extremely difficult period. The school has made counselling and pastoral care services available to all members of our community,” Thompson added.
The director of safety and security in the Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY), Richard Troupe, said the incident is a reminder of the importance of schools adhering to the ministry’s safety protocols.
“It is a matter of concern. We have a policy document for contact sports which speaks to the posts being planted because of these eventualities,” he told The Gleaner newspaper.
“We understand that, in some spaces, an area is used for multiple activities, but what we have seen in the past is schools putting the goalposts to lay down. So it does not provide that kind of threat to students,” he added.
The parliamentary representative for St. Andrew South East, Julian Robinson, said he is saddened at the death f the student.
“As a parent myself, it is difficult to conceive of the pain being experienced by his loved ones. I also want to offer condolences to the entire Campion College family and pray for God’s guidance and protection during this difficult period,” he added.
The death of three students involving goalposts at schools in 2011 promoted calls for the development of guidelines for schools’ sporting equipment. The MOEY ordered the immediate removal of all unanchored goalposts from public infant and primary schools after the third tragedy.
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