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Now this kind of thing happens at every school from time to time, but in Guinea Grass there have been well numbered protests and the cancellation of school for one day. When we visited today it was graduation, and so the hostilities subsided but there was still an undertone of volatility. Here's the story.

Jules Vasquez Reporting
While graduation ceremonies proceeded inside presided over by the Catholic Bishop, Dorrick Wright, outside the school they were also calling for the bishop as a cluster of protesters gathered in collective outrage at the principal Evaristo Blanco. They want him removed. Yesterday, they had a reported 80 parents protesting and on Monday school had to be shut down.

Jules Vasquez
"Who made the decision not to have school on Monday or why was that decision made? or was it just forced because many people would have stayed home."

Evaristo Blanco, Principal - Guinea Grass RC School
"If your life is danger Mr. Jules and Mr. Vellos what would you do? Do you go and face the danger?"

Today there was no tension, with the heavy presence of police who have basically encamped in the volatile village - a smaller group of protesters gathered in a private lot - as they claim police stopped them from parading in front of the school.

But though their numbers may have been diminished, their outrage was not:

Voice of Disgruntled Parent
"First place he is arrogant, he is lazy and so demanding. He doesn't even have the capacity for to get involved, to be a friendly principal to the society. He doesn't have that. This is a Catholic school and we have kids there that's why we are here. Those special constable told us that we cannot go there because we have these placards we understand that ok that's why we are here in this private property just demonstrating how we feel. Yes he is, he is crazy and for being an educated person I don't believe he should be there."

Voice of Disgruntled Parent
"The solution is not what they are saying about the PTA, no it's about Mr. Blanco. We can have a PTA but we don't want him here."

Evaristo Blanco
"15 parents out of nearly 200 parents, would you call 15 parents or would you call 15 people who are protesting out there and everybody else is enjoying themselves at the palapa, would you call that a protest? I mean let's be fair."

Alberto Vellos, CTV3 News
"Mr. Blanco can you tell us how do you feel about everything that has manifested right outside your school compound over the last 3 days?"

Evaristo Blanco
"Bad...not "bad" in a sense, but really down hearted because of what is going on. I feel that all these things are affecting our children."

Jules Vasquez
"You feel that you are being unfairly scapegoated?"

Alberto Vellos
"Do you think that what is happening is unfair to you?"

Jules Vasquez
"All the signs out there are about you. They are saying very bad things about you out there. Do you think that is unfair? Do you think you don't deserve that?"

Evaristo Blanco
"Most naturally."

Alberto Vellos
"These parents have a problem with you Mr. Blanco. The things they say about you, are they true? or are they not true?"

Evaristo Blanco
"Most naturally they are not true."

Alberto Vellos
"Are they coming up with because they have some kind of personal? or what exactly is going on, why do you think this is all happening?"

Evaristo Blanco
"I don't want to get into specific because if you get in specific a lot of things can be said and I don't want to hurt anybody."

He might have been alluding to the issue of 5 teachers who are being transferred - a normal administrative event - but one that has been blown up in this community:

Voice of Disgruntled Parent
"Why is he pressuring only UDP teachers and he only give the key to one of the teachers and move the key from the real vice principal just because the vice principal is a UDP supporter? Definitely he is playing politics in school."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you out here because of politics?"

Voice of Disgruntled Parent
"No, we are not here because of politics; we are here because he is a bias teacher."

Evaristo Blanco
"I have no powers in transferring teachers. From that point of view the minute somebody tells you I am transferring then you know it's a lie and you know it's fabricated already."

Armando Valdez, Assistant Manager - O.W. Catholic Schools
"This thing never has to happen. There is a saying that says 'big trouble in little China' something like this, something which I have investigated and found out that it is a personal issue that became public."

Voice of Disgruntled Parent
"He is very demanding, he is like a dictator, he never wants to hear opinions."

Armando Valdez
"It all began when a teacher walked out of this school for no reason what so ever, no valid reason whatsoever. I as manager could not allow that, I called in the teacher and I said why you have to do this, you must comply with what the principal asked you to do. And all she was asked is to deliver her yearly integrated class that's all. She said 'no this is nothing.' Was something wrong with the teacher, was she at a point where she was breaking down and couldn't take it? And then she goes out and blows it out and then the people pick it up and a small crowd begins to make noise."

Jules Vasquez
"How would you all answer the criticism that you all are sweating fever for 5 or 7 teachers who are getting transferred? How do you all respond to that criticism?"

Voice of Disgruntled Parent
"Ok, we are not sweating fever first of all. We appreciate their decisions if they are going to be transfer we know that it is a transferrable job we don't sweat any fever like how they put it to us. We are not saying about the teachers being transferred because they are red, blue and orange or purple, no, we are saying that he is the problem."

Voice of Disgruntled Parent
"He is not a principal that will collaborate with the teacher like; I am going to help you; the school is going to finance this, no he left all the bulk on the teachers just because he is being spiteful."

Jules Vasquez
"They say that he has a dictatorial style and they say that he and yourself are victimizing UDP teachers because you all are PUP. This is what they are saying."

Armando Valdez
"That's why I am telling if they can prove it then fine. But I really want to prove them if they mean victimizing them transferring them, they have it wrong. But these 5 almost have 30 years. One has 34 years, the other one 31 years in this school. When I ask them I said teacher why haven't you asked for a transfer or accepted a transfer? You learn when you go to other schools and they said don't transfer me this year - next year, I said fine next year. So I wrote it down in my book and this year when I was making the staffing for every school I came to the same list and I said these five will go, they have agreed no problem. I sent them their letter, when i sent them their letter they go and they tell people out there, 'They are transferring me, see!' How far were they transferred? To Orange Walk Town. If I was bad I would have send them far away, I am not doing this because of what has been happening in the school because of that individual case. It's an agreement we did last year."

And now with one week of school left and these teachers set on ejecting the principal - it's the students who are being affected and even the area representative says they may have to wait until next year.

Mark Pech, UDP O.W. South Area Rep.
"It's already almost the ending of the school year and the protest at this time may not be that effective but I was talking to some of them and if nothing is solved before school closes I understand this thing will continue to early September."

Alberto Vellos
"Can you afford that to continue?"

Mark Pech
"As I say I will have to get involved and we'll see how we can work this out. But the simple thing is that to me the principal would go then the problem is over. That's how I see it."

Alberto Vellos
"That's what you would want?"

Mark Pech
"If the people want that, that should be done."

Jules Vasquez
"Will Mr. Blanco be here next year?"

Armando Valdez
"Of course he just came, he haven't been here a year yet."

Jules Vasquez
"Even with the fuss?"

Armando Valdez
"I don't see no need for him to be remove. What has he done?"

Mark Pech
"We don't own the school but we would say that the school belongs to the parents of Guinea Grass. That's how I see it. Well the Catholic administration they are given the opportunity to manage the school but at the end of the day I think it's the people of Guinea Grass that have the say."

Alberto Vellos
"Can you work at a school where you are being criticized?"

Evaristo Blanco
"Why not, we are teachers. I believe that a teacher who loves the job will find solutions. There are solutions to everything. So if there is a solution why we can't work with it. We are not teaching parents, we are teaching children."

Under the watchful care of police, today's graduation ceremonies proceeded without incident. We'll keep following it to see if parents will fight another day or save their ammunition for the next school year. The Bishop's Commission has been tasked to perform an investigation.