Committee on Education and Workforce Development

The Committee on Education and Workforce Development has scheduled a hearing for Friday, July 15, 2022, at 10:00 AM in the Frits E. Lawaetz Legislative Conference Room on St. Croix.

Opening remarks/Statements                                                                               10:00 A.M. – 10:15 A.M.

 BLOCK I                                                                                                                   10:15 A.M. – 12:15 P.M.

The committee will receive testimony on the following bill:

Bill No. 34-0238        An Act amending Title 17 Virgin Islands, chapter 5, section 41(c), relating to courses of study in public schools to                                             require that the Virgin Islands and Caribbean history be taught specifically in Kindergarten through 12th grade and for                                     other purposes

Invited Testifiers
Victor Somme III, Acting Commissioner, Virgin Islands Department of Education
Dr. Kyza Callwood, Chairman, Virgin Islands Board of Education

 BREAK                                                                                                                    12:15 P.M. – 12:45 P.M.

 BLOCK II                                                                                                                    12:45 P.M. – 4:00 P.M.

The committee will receive testimony regarding the status of the 2022-2023 reopening schools, specifically the school accountability report addressing the safety, health administration, maintenance, and overall operations of our schools, as outlined in the Virgin Islands Code as follows: Title 17, Section 24. School management accountability (a) The Board of Education shall: (1) in consultation with the Department of Education, conduct a thorough annual assessment and evaluation of all public school facilities, school guidance division, and school administration in the territory; (2)(A) in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, develop and adopt the standards and guidelines for conducting a comprehensive annual inspection, assessment and evaluation of all public school facilities, school administrations and school guidance divisions in the Territory; and (B) in consultation with the Department of Health-Environment Division, the Department of Labor (OSHA) and the Department of Planning and Natural Resources make the decision via certification prior to the commencing of every school year that all public schools inspected are environmentally safe and (3) utilize the services of the Departments of Planning and Natural Resources, Public Works, Health, Environmental Health Division, Occupational Health and Safety (OSHA), and Fire Services to carry out the provisions of this section.

Invited Testifiers
Victor Somme III, Acting Commissioner, Virgin Islands Department of Education
Dr. Kyza Callwood, Chairman, Virgin Islands Board of Education
The Honorable Justa E. Encarnacion, Commissioner, Virgin Islands Department of Health
The Honorable Gary Molloy, Commissioner, Virgin Islands Department of Labor
The Honorable Jean-Pierre L. Oriol, Commissioner, VI Department of Planning and Natural Resources
Daryl George, Director, Virgin Islands Fire Services
The Honorable Derek Gabriel, Commissioner, Virgin Islands Department of Public Works