Dear Editor,

Kindly allow me to extend heartiest congratulations to the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) and their sponsor GraceKennedy for the successful staging of the 2023 boys’ and girls’ athletics championships. Congratulations also to TVJ on the coverage of the event, which kept those of us in the virtual space in the loop.

There were many very good performances for which the students and their coaches must be justly proud. However, the Kingston College student’s shine and impact was quietly overshadowed by the layers of tattoos. His sub-10 100 metres performance is being celebrated and rightly fully so. But there is a disjoint as it gives the impression that winning at all cost is the essence of the event.

The question must be asked: “Are schools lowering the bar by supporting students who represent them in an activity/event for the sole purpose of winning?” If as a country we cannot depend on our school administrators to uphold high moral, ethical, and social standards, our nation is doomed.

It is a frequent occurrence to see school administrators pontificating about grooming, dress code, and the more recent guard ring saga. Are tattoos accepted, bearing in mind that it is a form of body modification in which pigment is inserted into the skin to change its colour permanently?

Where does ISSA as a body stand on this issue? Does it fit in with the established deportment standards? This cannot be considered as the right to freedom of expression. If so, you have just opened a can of worms.

Monica McIntyre

Retired educator

mcintyremonica12@gmail.com