Pine Street Preschool Closes Its Doors after 35 Years of Service

In a developing story, after thirty-five years of service in the Collet Division of Belize City, the Pine Street Preschool off Vernon Street has closed its doors. Today, police officers were dispatched to the school to keep the peace while Ministry of Education-appointed teachers removed teaching supplies. The closure stems from a dispute between the Ministry of Education and the owner of the property and former principal, Felicia Anthony. Since August, Anthony and two other longstanding teachers, including Sherlett Slusher, were told verbally that their valid licenses were revoked. And at the start of the new school year, the ministry put in place a new principal and teachers, allowing classes to be conducted inside the building owned by Anthony and the original teachers.  Anthony told News Five that neither of them have received any formal notification of the reason for their replacement and that they have not been paid since the start of the school year. So reluctantly, she closed down the school.

Felicia Anthony

Felicia Anthony, Co-Owner, Pine Street Preschool

“Teacher Sherlett tell them from the twenty-second of this month, they will close down the school. She went up there into a meeting and told them. The teacher said don’t follow her cause it is not true. Mister Kellyman came and told them the same thing; it’s not true. So she show them that we are the boss so she went and closed it down. So today, they came there with police thinking that we will not give them their stuff. We don’t want their stuff and that’s why they came there with police and people from ministry came. They took their stuff and they went.”

Sherlett Slusher

Sherlett Slusher, Former Teacher, Pine Street Preschool

“In August of this year, Mister Marvin Kellyman from the ministry came to us while we were at the school and he informed Miss Anthony that her license was revoked—this is word of mouth—and that my license was denied. Up to now, cause we have been asking them to give us in writing, black and white, we need it because then how can we move or do anything if we don’t have a license to say that her license was revoked and my license was denied. That’s all we are asking them for up to now. Up to this present moment, w ehave not received it as yet.”

Duane Moody

“When was it decided that the school would be closed down?”

Sherlett Slusher

“This was decided from last month, the twenty-second of October cause we made it one month exactly because the teachers were being disrespectful. We went in and we told them the place belongs to us, please don’t do A, B and C. She went and changed the school name, she changed the logo of the school and she change the email.”

Duane Moody

“Who did this?”

Sherlett Slusher

“The principal that they sent there.”