Teachers at Charlotte Amalie High School Refuse to Work in 95-Degree Classrooms Amid Mold and Internet Issues

Contrary to a memorandum circulated by the V.I. Department of Education, teachers at the Charlotte Amalie High School were not protesting on Thursday, union representatives told the Consortium.

“The Virgin Islands Department of Education acknowledges a teacher protest at the Charlotte Amalie High School,” the urgent alert said. However according to Leontyne Jones, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Federation of Teachers, teachers were just following the stipulations of their contract.‌

The collective bargaining agreement governing unionized teachers in public schools requires teachers to leave classrooms that present an environmental health hazard, whether it be mold, excessive heat, or the like. “We have internet connectivity issues, and on top of that we have the issues with a/c units…and then we have the mold in the classroom,” Ms. Jones disclosed. “It’s problematic, and it’s really bad in Charlotte Amalie High School classrooms. I used to work there, so I know,” she continued.

Ms. Jones said that at the beginning of the school year, her members walked into classrooms that were ill-prepared to facilitate the learning that is supposed to take place within them. Fans don’t help with cooling in rooms tailored for air conditioning, Ms. Jones contends. “It’s circulating hot air. I walk into these rooms every day with thermometers, and the temperature is hitting like 90, 95 degrees. No one can learn, no one can teach in there.”