The father of a Berkeley Institute student allegedly assaulted by a security man has called on the school to sack the guard, saying he has been roughing up other students.

As a result of the fracas last week, physical education teacher and former Bermuda cricket captain Arnold Manders was hospitalised after a student punched him in the face.

The trouble flared when parent Joseph Hunt went to the school at lunchtime last Thursday to confront the guard after receiving a distressed call from his 14-year-old son Princeton who claimed the man had slapped and punched him.

Mr. Hunt told The Royal Gazetteyesterday that the security guard had been roughing up students for some time and said his son would not be coming back to the school until action is taken by Berkeley.

He said he wants to press assault charges against the guard who, he said, punched, grabbed and slapped his son.

“That security guard should not be in a school with children. He needs to be disciplined,” said Mr. Hunt.

And he said he was disgusted that teachers at the school were “covering-up” for the security guard, by claiming that he never roughed up the boy.

Chief Education Officer Dr. Joseph Christopher said last week that staff disputed the claim by the student that the security guard slapped the boy.

Mr. Hunt told The Royal Gazetteyesterday that teachers were “lying” when they backed up the guard and that his son and other students said the guard regularly manhandled students.

And a letter to the editor from a Berkeley student also alleges the security guard at the centre of the fracas was always shoving students about.

Mr. Hunt said the trouble flared at lunchtime on Thursday when his son called to claim the guard was assaulting him.

The attack on Mr. Manders took place while students watched the row between Mr. Hunt, the security guard and Police.

Mr. Hunt told The Royal Gazette: “I was at home when my son called me and said ‘come here quickly, the security guard is punching me and gripping me and pushing me'.

“My son said the security guard told him ‘call your dad and I'll slap him as well'.

“I came to the school with my wife and my wife's brother and we parked at the gate at the bottom of the school and the security guard came running down the hill to me and all the children followed.

“I said ‘what's this I hear about you going to slap me, I'm here now, slap me now'. He said he didn't say he would would slap me but I said my son said you punched and slapped and gripped him. He knew not to hit me.

“We said we want to call Police and press charges because this is happening too much. I was agitated and the Police tried to calm me down.

“I told them what happened and the Police said we should go to the headmaster's office.

“When we got to the office, the headmaster wasn't in so we couldn't go in to discuss it. That's when we all left and and I called the Board of Education.

“I talked to Dr. (Chief Education Officer Joseph) Christopher and he said ‘don't take it to the news, but he took it to the news first.

“I don't give the children no rights to hit teachers. I'm for the teachers, but I don't send my son to school to be hit by security guards. I always give the teachers the benefit of the doubt, but when they lie, it's wrong.

“I urge every parent to talk to their children because the teachers are covering up the security guards manhandling the children and this security guard thinks he can do what he wants with the children. All the children say this security guard has always got fighting on his mind.

“He should be taken up on charges for hitting my son. If nothing happens, he's going to continue doing it.

“If I didn't go to the school to address it, he would continue hitting my son when he thinks he can. Even if my son did curse him, he has not right to hit him.

“My wife is speaking to the Minister of Education today, because this has got to be solved. How can you talk to a child and tell him you'll slap his dad and expect them to respect him?”

In a letter to the editor, a Berkeley student writes: “The security guard that started this mess is always doing things in such a way that is not appropriate for children.

“The security guard treats us children as if we are muscular men, and not teenagers.

“I know that some children like to act as if they are muscular men, but I believe that an adult like himself should realise that we are still teenagers.”

The student who punched Mr. Manders has been expelled and three others are suspended pending the outcome of a school investigation. Berkeley principal Michelle Gabisi could not be contacted yesterday to discuss the allegations of violence against the security guard.

But in statement issued on Saturday, she said: “It is cause for great concern that a parent could come onto school property, disrespect the staff, issue threats of physical violence, and disrupt the normal school environment.

“This is totally unacceptable and contrary to the example we wish our students to emulate. The staff of this school will not tolerate or accept this behaviour.

“Neither will we accept disruption of our school environment by parents or students.”

Our Island is already reeling from violence that has permeated too many aspects of life here in tiny Bermuda. We need to understand that each of us must be part of the solution.”

The Royal Gazettealso asked Education Minister Paula Cox to comment. An Education Ministry spokeswoman said Chief Education Officer Dr. Joseph Christopher might deal with the matter instead but no calls were returned by press time.