Four school buildings on St. Croix have been abandoned by the Virgin Islands government since 2015: Elena Christian Junior High School along with the Evelyn M. Williams Elementary School were abandoned in 2015, with the government citing mold for the elementary school and “longstanding structural and environmental issues” for the junior high learning facility. The government promised to reopen Elena Christian in one year after repairs, but the promise was never fulfilled.
“Both of these schools have very critical and ongoing structural and environmental issues that we must address. We want to keep children and educators safe. We cannot have another instance like at Gomez school where a teacher was injured by falling debris. So this is more preventative than reactive,” said D.OE. commissioner under the Mapp administration, Sharon McCollum, in June 2015.
The Charles H. Emmanuel Elementary School building, which eventually became Elena Christian Junior High, was abandoned in 2017 following Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The facility is now desolate with no form of security, and Elena Christian students are now housed at the former Manor School in La Grande Princesse.
Alexander Henderson was abandoned only in March because of an “unknown contaminant,” according to the Department of Education, that caused students at the school along with staff to fall ill. Alexander Henderson students are now housed at Arthur A. Richards, and according to a document revealing the Dept. of Education’s 2019-2020 school year strategy, there are no plans to return the students to the facility.
As for the buildings, they continue to lay waste. Watch the video above.
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