ST. THOMAS — Senator Donna Frett-Gregory, chair of the Committee on Education and Workforce Development, is demanding that the commissioner of Education, Racquel BerryBenjamin, share information about the condemnation of Building B at Charlotte Amalie High School. Building B is the building that houses most of the classrooms at C.A.H.S..
According to Mrs. Frett-Gregory, during the last school year (2018-2019), half of Building B was condemned, forcing classes to be held in the auditorium, the library and wherever else space could be found. Building A was recently assessed and may also be at risk. With Building B now off limits and possibly Building A, C.A.H.S. is challenged with classrooms in the fall. Although the senator has reached out to the commissioner for information on the issue, the details shared thus far remains unclear. No information or plan to move forward has been discussed.
Mrs. Frett-Gregory expressed alarm that information about the school’s deteriorated physical state has not officially been shared with C.A.H.S. parents or the community.
“At the very least, parents need to understand how the status of these main buildings will impact their children’s education when school resumes in the next few weeks,” Mrs. Frett-Gregory said. “I understand that a solid plan may not be in place, but it is the responsibility of the Commissioner to share critical information with parents, teachers, students and stakeholders. So far, that has not been done.”
“I am calling on the leadership of the Dept. of Education to communicate with the community and stakeholders to address this challenge head on and to come up with a plan,” Sen. Frett-Gregory said. “Let the community know that you are aware of the situation and working on a solution.”
With school reopening in a matter of weeks, communication is critical for parents, students and stakeholders in order to alleviate anxiety. We cannot afford for history to repeat itself.
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