Education

On St. Thomas, First Day Of School Opens With Some Expected Glitches, And A Few Unexpected Ones

Ready or not public schools opened on time on Tuesday. ST. THOMAS -- The first day of school had glitches, of course: some clearly beyond the Virgin Islands Department of Education (D.O.E.) control. And a few more that resulted directly from questionable, last-minute department decisions and dubious planning. The new school year orientation for Charlotte Amalie High School junior and seniors had been schedule for last week, for example. When Hurricane Dorian passed, and squeezed an already-impossible schedule even further, orientation was re-scheduled for Tuesday -- the day school reopened. After orientation, 11th and 12th graders at C.A.H.S. were sent home. Dorian caused no known building damage, but the storm caused flight delays and cancellations at airports in Florida and along the Eastern Seaboard. Nearly half a dozen V.I. teachers were left stranded stateside as classes got underway in the territory. “We had some teachers stuck in Miami,” said CAHS Principal April Petrus. “The st...