Turnbull, Education Minister Clash Over Playground at
A public row has erupted after playground equipment was delivered to Ivan Dawson Primary School without ministry authorisation. Education Minister Sharie deCastro says the ministry ordered removal for safety and says Second District Representative Melvin 'Mitch' Turnbull blocked the school entrance during the incident; Turnbull maintains the donation has been delayed and the equipment was left at the port accruing fees. Both sides involved police and disagree over process, donor disclosure and timing, while the ministry says a replacement playground is budgeted and scheduled for delivery in 2026.
Tensions flared at Ivan Dawson Primary School in Cane Garden Bay this week after playground equipment intended to replace a dilapidated 'boat' structure caused a standoff between Second District Representative Melvin 'Mitch' Turnbull and Education Minister Sharie deCastro. The dispute has roots going back to the 2017 hurricanes, when the school received a donated play boat that Turnbull and parents now describe as unsafe.
On July 2, 2025, Turnbull announced plans to donate a new playground to the school, saying the donor — arranged through ATU BVI — would cover construction and erection costs. Turnbull says the container carrying the equipment was at the BVI ports from around January 9 and accumulating storage fees after paperwork and clearance stalled.
Turnbull told reporters he wrote to the Ministry of Education around January 19 seeking collaboration under the ministry’s donations policy and received no timely response. According to him, the container was offloaded onto the school compound but ministry or other officials then instructed that it be removed.
He said police warned that his vehicle could be removed if he did not comply and that he would continue to press for the new playground ‘‘on principle’’ for the benefit of students. Turnbull also said community members were prepared to fund removal of the old structure. The Ministry of Education has now publicly responded.
In a statement to the territory, Minister Sharie deCastro said the playground equipment was delivered to the school after hours on January 27 "without the ministry’s knowledge or authorisation" and left exposed to the elements. She said the ministry’s donations policy, introduced in December 2023, requires donor disclosure, documentation and a safety review before procurement or delivery.
DeCastro told residents the ministry therefore took the step of having the unapproved equipment removed from school property because unvetted materials "pose risks to students and staff." She also accused Turnbull of blocking the only entrance and exit to the school with his vehicle during the removal, saying he was repeatedly asked to move and declined, forcing officials to escalate the matter to the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.
The minister sought to reassure parents, saying the Cane Garden Bay playground is budgeted and scheduled in the 2026 allotment and that a territory-wide playground replacement programme begun three years ago has already installed eight playgrounds, seven of them donor-funded. She said the Ivan Dawson replacement is expected to be completed during the Easter break in April in time for the Trinity term.
The clash highlights competing claims: Turnbull emphasizes delays, accrued port fees and the urgency of replacing unsafe equipment, while deCastro stresses process, documentation and student safety. Residents and parents watching the situation continue to call for clear, collaborative procedures so children can have safe, usable play equipment without further delay.
Both sides involved police in enforcing instructions; neither the donor identity nor a final timeline for installation beyond the ministry's April target have been independently confirmed.
Primary source: BVI News