KINGSTON, Jamaica, Oct 29 – Jamaica has introduced a National Schools Firearm Management and Response Protocol aimed at preventing gun violence and the use of weapons in schools, amid reports of firearm-related offences involving minors.
The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information said the protocol will establish standardised procedures for preventing firearm incidents, early intervention, emergency response and post-incident recovery.
The initiative is intended to ensure that schools remain safe and supportive learning environments, with procedures prioritising the safety and well-being of students, teachers and other members of the school community.
Speaking at Monday’s launch at the ministry’s National Heroes Circle office, Permanent Secretary Dr Kasan Troupe said the document was developed following consultations with principals, vice principals, guidance counsellors, teachers, students, parents and other education stakeholders.
Several agencies also contributed, including the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), the Firearms Licensing Authority (FLA) and the Children’s Advocate.
Troupe also acknowledged the support of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the British Council Caribbean.
“We are indeed grateful that we, as partners, could come together to do this… now that we have a guideline in place. It makes it easier for all those mediated channels to know exactly what to do [and] when,” she said.
Troupe cautioned that the protocol would be subject to further revisions as its implementation progresses and additional needs are identified.
“It is not final because as we learn, as we interact, we will see different aspects of the work [that] we did not contend with, and sometimes [it is] when you’re doing the work that you will realise the other areas that need to be involved,” she said.
National Coordinator for Safety and Security in Schools Richard Troupe, who led the development of the document, said it addresses access to both legal and illegal firearms.
He pointed to instances in which children had gained access to legally owned firearms, resulting in fatal shootings.
“We would have seen and heard reports of children of parents with legal firearms having access to such weapons, [pulling] the trigger [and] those children are no longer here. So, the document speaks in a very important way about the issue of firearms, not just illegal but [also] legal,” he said.
The ministry reported 68 critical incidents in schools between September 2022 and June 2023.
It also recorded approximately 247 minors in conflict with the law for firearm-related offences between 2019 and 2024, 90 per cent of whom were boys.
Richard Troupe said sensitisation sessions involving other key stakeholders would follow the launch, while electronic copies of the protocol would be made widely accessible.
The launch formed part of activities for School Safety Week 2026, which is observed from October 25 to 30.
CMC/ed/2026