A public primary school in Freeport, Grand Bahama, left students navigating dim, poorly ventilated classrooms for two full consecutive days this week, with school administrators failing to notify guardians of the extended power disruption, according to a frustrated parent who contacted local outlet The Tribune to flag the issue.
When Tribune reporters visited the Hugh Campbell Primary School campus on Mahogany Street in Freeport during school hours the day after the 48-hour outage concluded, electricity service had still not been restored. Administrative staff had propped open all office doors to circulate stagnant air through the uncooled building, while regular class schedules remained in place rather than being suspended, with students taking their lunch break outdoors to escape the stuffy, unlit interior spaces.
The concerned parent, who first alerted the newsroom to the crisis, explained they only discovered the outage was ongoing for a second straight day when they dropped their child off at the campus that morning, with no prior heads-up from the school or district leadership. “When these disruptions stop being rare one-off incidents and turn into a recurring pattern, parents have every right to clear, timely communication confirming the problem is being actively resolved,” the parent shared in their written correspondence to The Tribune.
They emphasized that unpowered classrooms lack both adequate overhead lighting for reading and functional air circulation systems, making learning conditions far from safe or conducive for young children. While acknowledging that unforeseen utility failures can happen to any facility, the parent stressed that families should never be left completely in the dark about disruptions that directly impact their children’s daily school experience. “Our kids’ educational progress, physical safety, and overall well-being have to be the non-negotiable top priority for school leadership,” the parent stated. “We are asking for clear answers, and full transparency about what concrete steps are being put in place to guarantee our children have access to a learning environment that meets their basic needs. These concerned parents deserve to have their voices taken seriously.”
During the news outlet’s on-site visit, the school’s principal was not present on campus, and staff directed reporters to reach out to the local district superintendent or a senior leader at the national Ministry of Education. When Tribune staff arrived at the ministry’s central offices, they were informed that all senior education officials were locked in a scheduled meeting with public school principals across the region. Deputy Director of Education Michelle Bowleg later responded to media inquiries with a note that Director of Education Dominique McCartney-Russell would release a formal public statement addressing the outage later that same evening. As of the paper’s official press deadline, no such statement had been issued, and neither McCartney-Russell nor Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson had replied to repeated requests for comment. To date, no public information has been shared about the root cause of the extended outage, or whether the disruption was isolated to Hugh Campbell Primary or impacted surrounding community facilities as well.
This latest parent complaint is part of a broader wave of public frustration over persistent, unaddressed power failures at government-run schools across Grand Bahama since the fall academic term kicked off in September. Deputy Prime Minister and sitting Education Minister Chester Cooper has previously characterized these recurring outages as a minor “inconvenience,” noting that ministry policy directs school staff to keep classes running as normally as possible rather than sending students home immediately when power cuts out. Opposition deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright has repeatedly called on the education ministry to release its full formal contingency plan for sustaining school operations through prolonged, multi-day power disruptions, demanding accountability for the lack of preparation.
This is not the first time Hugh Campbell Primary has been at the center of a high-profile power outage controversy: back in June 2014, the campus was one of 18 public schools across Grand Bahama that had their utility service disconnected entirely by the Grand Bahama Power Company, after the government accumulated more than $1 million in unpaid utility bills. The service was only restored after the Ministry of Finance intervened to settle the full outstanding debt.
Power outage at GB school leaves students in the dark
