build one large high school at Prospect, BUT president Mr. Michael Charles said yesterday.

Mr. Charles made the statements during a national conference on violence in response to a question about how disruptive and violent students would be separated from the rest of their class under the new education system.

"You'll have to ask the people who are putting up the school,'' he told the concerned parent. "We in the BUT have other ideas on what is best for our students. We are totally against a mega-high school. We don't see it as a solution, but the powers that be are forging ahead.'' Mr. Charles, a speaker at the conference, earlier had said the BUT was in favour of "an alternative form of education for students who demonstrate an inability to part-take in the regular classroom''.

"If we don't do that we are going to deprive the students who want to learn of a valuable education.'' Mr. Charles said teachers were being forced to turn a blind eye to acts of violence in order to teach their classes.

It was "totally unacceptable'' that teachers spent 30 percent of their class time dealing with discipline.

The ten-month school year was actually reduced to seven-and-a-half-months as a result, he pointed out.

Those who wanted to learn were further affected when two teachers recently had to be told to stay home while violent incidents involving them were investigated by Police.

One of the teachers was struck in the head with a rock, while the other had been circled by a group of students wanting revenge.

He added: "Students from one school are going to another school and beating up on students.

"What will it take for the authorities to recognise and come to grips with the problem. Will it take the death of a student or teacher?'' Mr. Charles said it was reassuring to know some schools were now working on drugs policies. He hoped the conference would lead the way to establishing a national code of discipline to tackle student violence.

"Bermuda is facing an ever-increasing number of students who are unable to learn in our schools.

"There is a hard-core group of disruptive students who must be removed from the traditional school system and only returned when and if they are able to act in an acceptable manner.'' BLOWING THE WHISTLE -- Ch. Insp. Jonathan Smith and Bermuda College student Miss Zakiah Johnson talk after delivering speeches at the opening of the Ministry of Health and Social Services first national conference on violence at Number One Shed yesterday.