Puerto Rico: Overcrowding and teacher shortages at Escuela 632

Families and guardians at Escuela Provincial N.º 632 “Coronel Martín Jacobo Thompson” in Mbopicuá, Puerto Rico, are protesting severe overcrowding and a lack of teaching staff. Due to a failure by the Consejo General de Educación (CGE) to appoint substitutes, the school has been forced to group multiple grades into single, small classrooms.

In one instance, a single teacher is responsible for teaching four different grades (4th through 7th) simultaneously to 22 students. Another classroom combines 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades under one instructor. The situation has been exacerbated by the absence of the school director, as the central educational body has declined to appoint a replacement.

Parents report that the CGE is using enrollment numbers as a justification for these cuts, but they argue this approach ignores pedagogical quality and student well-being. The current arrangement makes it difficult to provide personalized attention or implement specific curricula, such as Comprehensive Sexual Education (ESI), and creates challenges in managing the social dynamics between young children and adolescents.