At a Government House press conference on Wed., March 30, Education Commissioner Sharon Ann McCollum, Ph.D., announces the temporary closure of Alexander Henderson School for roof repairs, beginning Fri., April 1. She is joined by St. Croix Superintendent Colleen Mae Williams, far left; Henderson School Principal Natasha O’Halloran-Smith, center right; and Deputy Superintendent Vaughn Hewitt, right.
Virgin Islands Department of Education Commissioner Sharon Ann McCollum, Ph.D., announced during a press conference today at Government House that in an effort to ensure the health and safety of students and employees, Alexander Henderson Elementary School on St. Croix will be temporarily closed for one week—beginning Friday, April 1 and reopening Monday, April 11—to expedite repairs to a portion of the building’s roof.
“We have substantial leaks in the building and it is causing problems in our day-to-day operations,” Commissioner McCollum said. “I stress that this is a health and safety issue and we made the decision that for our employees, as well as our students, who are our top priority, it would be best for us to close the school.”
Commissioner McCollum explained that contractors had been on site at the school prior to the Easter vacation working on the roof, but rain delayed the work. “We have made the decision that for us to continue in a timely manner it is necessary to close the school.
St. Croix Insular Superintendent Colleen Williams reiterated Commissioner McCollum’s remarks. “Health and safety is extremely important to us. As we address the needs of our particular school, Alexander Henderson, we want to assure our parents and the larger St. Croix community that our efforts are to get our students, faculty and staff back into a healthy environment and that we will be moving to address all the needs that this particular school has,” she said.
Deputy Superintendent Vaugh Hewitt, who is also the lead maintenance official in the St. Croix school district, provided additional details of the work being conducted.
“At this time, we do have a roofing company working on the roof at Henderson School. They were there during the Easter break, but were unable to complete the work due to the weather. Beginning on March 31, we will deploy a team from our maintenance division that will be at the school looking at other issues that were affected by the leaks,” he said. “The company informed me that most of the roof is in good condition, but there is one area that needs to be addressed and is being addressed.” Hewitt said the work will be assessed and monitored after the repairs are completed.
School Principal Natasha O’Halloran-Smith applauded the district’s decision to close the school to facilitate the repairs. “When we return, our hopes is that we will be in an environment that we can provide the safety that our students and staff needs in order to give students the education we desire them to have,” she said.
