Central High Schol Entrance By. Ernice Gilbert, VIC
ST. CROIX — The St. Croix Central High School will remain closed on November 20 due to ongoing areal monitoring on and around the campus, Virgin Islands Department of Education officials in the St. Croix District announced today. The department has been struggling to eliminate a potentially harmful odor that has caused the closure of CHS for more than a week of learning.
D.O.E. said the odor began last week and continued to impact school operations this week. In response, an Incident Command System (ICS) has been stood up. While teams of government officials continued to canvas the surrounding communities, including Estate Profit, Clifton Hill and Harvey Project, the Virgin Islands Fire Service’s (VIFS) Hazmat Team and Virgin Islands National Guard’s 23rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD-CST) collaborated to conduct areal monitoring on the school’s campus and in the surrounding communities. Response efforts will continue throughout the evening and resume on Wed., D.O.E. said.
Staff at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and the Virgin Islands Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Services remain prepared to support, respond, and provide immediate assistance to residents impacted by this issue, Education said. Residents with health issues relating to this incident are advised to report to the JFLH immediately.
The department said it will continue to provide updates on any impacts to public health and the environment, and thanks the community for its continued patience and cooperation.
