Governor, DOE Detail the Return to In-Person Learning

During his weekly press briefing on Monday, broadcast live from Government House, the governor called the return of in-person learning a major milestone towards the return to normalcy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

To justify the decision to resume classroom learning for students , the governor cited President Biden’s lifting of the travel ban for vaccinated international travelers and the availability of vaccines for children ages five and older as support for the move towards bringing back in-person education.

“We have had a model that has proved successful in keeping our students, faculty and staff safe for months now. In addition, we have available for children ages 5 and older the vaccine, which has also proven effective in dramatically reducing the chances of severe illness or death from COVID,” Governor Bryan said.

As a means to ensure the safety of the Territory’s schools, the governor implored parents, pupils and educators to obtain the vaccine if they have not already done so.

“We need to move forward for the sake of our students and their educational needs. So I ask the parents out there to get vaccinated and vaccinate your children who are eligible to receive the vaccine and I am also asking our educators to do the same. This is the most effective form of protection there is against COVID-19.”

On the same day, the DOE hosted its own press conference to elaborate on the details of the reopening.

Grades pre-K through 3rd, career and technical education and special education returned to the classroom on September 7 of this year. The same students filled the classrooms from March through May of last academic year.

“Our students are thriving on campuses which have been retrofitted to meet all of the requirements by the CDC to be COVID-compliant,” said DOE Commissioner Racquel Berry-Benjamin.

Commissioner Berry-Benjamin reminded parents that COVID-19 remains a persistent issue to public health and reiterated the need for wearing masks, social distancing and vaccinations.

In the St. Croix district, the hardest hit island in the territory, students at the Lew Muckle, Ricardo Richards, Pearl B. Larsen, Eulalie Rivera, Claudo Markoe and Juanita Gardine elementary schools will attend classes five days per week.

Seventh and eighth graders at John Woodson High School will attend classes two days per week and three days virtually.

Ninth grade students at the St. Croix Educational Complex and St. Croix Central high school will have four days of in-person classes and one day of virtual instruction. Tenth grade students of those schools will enter classrooms two days per week with three days of virtual class.

Students of Positive Connections Alternative school will sit at their desks three days per week with two days of virtual learning.

In the St. Thomas-St. John District, all pre-K through eighth grade students will return to the classroom full-time. Ninth grade students at the Charlotte Amalie and Eudora Kean high schools will convene on campus for four days per week with a virtual learning session scheduled for Wednesdays. Tenth through twelfth grades will gather for in-person learning two days per week with three days of virtual education.

According to representatives from the DOE, each district has invested in a variety of mitigating measures, which include plexi-glass barriers for the desks of students and teachers, hand-washing stations and automatic soap and sanitizer dispensers, designated isolation rooms and thermometers.

Cafeterias will remain open and functioning on a staggered schedule. School busses will continue to transport students to and from school, but students must wear masks at the bus stop. The DOE considers masks a part of the school uniform. School nurses will conduct COVID-19 testing on-site with a one-time consent from parents if students show signs or endorse symptoms of the virus.

According to the most recent COVID-19 data, provided by the Virgin Islands Department of Health, the territory has recorded 7,290 individuals have tested positive for the virus. The Territory reports 90 active cases and 83 deaths as a result of COVID-19. Of the 7,290 individuals that tested positive, 7,117 have made a full recovery.