for beefed-up school security.

The demonstration threatens to disrupt morning classes throughout Bermuda.

Teachers will descend on Warwick Secondary School at 8.30 a.m. to confront Education Ministry officers.

Last night Education Minister Jerome Dill pledged to be present, too.

"I see it as my duty to be there,'' he said.

He added, however, he had already announced in Parliament plans to meet teachers.

And he said he had expressed a willingness to meet the Bermuda Union of Teachers executive.

"I think what is being proposed for tomorrow is unfortunate and wholly unnecessary.'' BUT president Michael Charles told The Royal Gazette teachers would return to their schools after making their feelings known.

Mr. Dill and his technical officers would then hold private talks with Warwick Secondary staff.

"We have invited all members to converge on the school. That is close to 700 people,'' Mr. Charles said last night.

"We want our members to show their support for Warwick Secondary. Tomorrow's meeting is specifically about the concerns of that school.'' Mr. Charles said the BUT planned to arrange another meeting with Mr. Dill to thrash out Island-wide concerns about school violence.

At that meeting, the union would put to him proposals to combat the problem, he added.

This morning's demonstration was agreed at a two-and-half hour emergency BUT meeting yesterday afternoon at Dellwood Primary.

BUT organiser Sen. Milton Scott said more than 200 teachers attended and the decision to converge on Warwick Secondary had been unanimous.

"We've also spoken to the Minister and invited senior technical officers to meet teachers at the school,'' he said. "After we have engaged in meaningful dialogue, the teachers will return to their classrooms.

"We have asked all our members to come. Those who attended today's meeting will contact colleagues and get them to come as well. There could be several hundred teachers present.'' Sen. Scott said some teachers had given first-hand accounts of violence during the Dellwood meeting.

He added several teachers had asked for Mr. Dill to turn up to Warwick Secondary, although the union's invitation had been to Education Ministry technical officers.

"I don't think the general public appreciates how serious the problem of violence is,'' he said. "It's quite serious and we hope the community will recognise this.'' Today's demonstration follows a string of incidents.

One involved a brutal attack on a Warwick Secondary teacher by a suspended student.

The Royal Gazette also learned that Northlands principal Carol Bassett was verbally abused and threatened by a former student.

Violence prompted Government to station security guards at Warwick Secondary, Northlands and Whitney Institute as part of a pilot project.

Sen. Scott said: "We've already asked the Minister to place guards in all our schools.

"We said security personnel may have to be off-duty Policemen. We just want to ensure we have adequate security personnel to ensure the safety of children and teachers. The pilot scheme is not sufficient.'' Sen. Scott said some schools -- including Warwick Secondary -- needed fencing.

Berkeley Institute and Whitney Institute were also vulnerable because they were open schools, he added.

Mr. Charles said: "I am pleased to hear that Mr. Dill will be coming tomorrow. When we greeted him with the news of what we proposed, he did not appear pleased. I think he now understands the situation.'' Teachers to protest Mr. Charles accepted the show of support would leave schools under-staffed during the morning and cause disruption.

He said it was up to parents to decide whether to bring their children in.

"That is a call they will have to make,'' he said.

Mr. Dill said last night: "First of all I would like to stress I am very, very concerned about the issue of safety and I certainly understand the teachers' concerns.'' He pointed out, however, he had written to Sen. Scott making it clear he was willing to meet the BUT executive at any time.

Mr. Dill said he had also directed his Permanent Secretary to arrange a meeting with teachers of designated Middle Schools and two senior schools so he could hear firsthand from teachers their concerns.