Parents report that the Montecristi polytechnic refuses to re-enroll their son despite a court order

Montecristi.- A family reported that the Instituto Politécnico San José, in the municipality of San Fernando de Montecristi, refuses to re-enroll and allow the admission of their 16-year-old son, despite the existence of a ruling from the Children and Adolescents Court ordering his immediate re-entry to the educational center. The minor’s parents, Plinio Rafael Taveras Pimentel and Ana Carina Abreu, stated that their son has been out of the classroom since last Thursday because the institution allegedly excluded him for supposed unruly behavior. They assured that, contrary to what the center argues, the teenager “is a meritorious young man” who has studied his whole life at that Catholic polytechnic, whose motto is “Educating from redemptive charity for fraternity“. The complainants pointed out that the educational center would be violating the court ruling issued through an amparo action, which provides for the immediate reinstatement of the student and establishes the payment of an astreinte if the institution fails to comply with the order. Likewise, they warned that the polytechnic would be disregarding regulation 48-49, which prohibits expelling students or denying them re-enrollment, in addition to the constitutional right to education and the principle of the best interests of the child enshrined in Law 136-03.

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Taveras Pimentel and Abreu requested the intervention of the Minister of Education, Miguel de Camps, denouncing that it is “an abuse and an act of discrimination” against their son and their family. They questioned that, under an “administrative and unfounded” decision, a private institution with a state agreement can exclude a student without the corresponding mediation. They also criticized the performance of the Mao regional office of Conani, which, they said, “has been weak” in the execution of the sentence by not guaranteeing the child’s educational continuity.

“The administration of the San José Polytechnic has expelled our son for alleged indiscipline, but that is not a reason to deny him the bread of education. They asked us to take him to another center, but he has studied here all his life,” they expressed with concern.

For her part, the director of School District 13-01, Alicia Paniagua, stated that she has “her hands tied” because the case is in the hands of the Department of Co-Management Agreements of the Minerd, directed by Roque Acosta, who —according to the parents— would have endorsed the measure of the polytechnic without exhausting the process through a commission as established by the mediation protocols. So far, the management of the San José Polytechnic Institute has not offered explanations regarding the complaint and has limited itself to pointing out that it will be the Ministry of Education that will have to decide on the case.