Education

Bill Incorporating Mental Health Education Into Curriculum Held in Committee as Dept. of Education Seeks Changes to Measure

Every member of the Committee on Education and Workforce Development on Thursday supported a bill that adds mental health education to the school health programs under current statute, but the V.I. Dept. of Education says it cannot support the legislation in its current form and thus Bill No. 34-0086 was held in committee at the call of the chair. Dept. of Education Asst. Commissioner Victor Somme III said during testimony that although the bill as proposed presents a great opportunity to begin the comprehensive work necessary to address the mental health needs of Virgin Islands youth, the Education Department is recommending that lead agencies on mental health, such as the V.I. Department of Health and the V.I. Department of Human Services take the lead on the legislation as the Education Department, he said, is not the expert on mental health. “It is important to recognize that not all school personnel are designed to engage in mental wellness…" he said. Mr. Somme said that in ord...