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Contingency Plans Being Created for CHS Students Should Foul Stench Remain

Concerned parents and citizens, some irate, put government officials from a number of different agencies on the defensive Monday night as the Education Department tried to bring those parents and citizens up to date on the ongoing closure of the St. Croix Central High School campus due to an on-again, off-again noxious odor that has impacted operations at the school and seen it closed since March 18.

The school shuttered its doors following the incident after more than 30 students and at least one adult were treated for exposure to the unknown odor and symptoms ranging from dizziness to vomiting and nausea at the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital.

At the island’s other public high school Monday night – the St. Croix Educational Complex – those same officials tried to brief a packed auditorium on what was known thus far about the odor, what was being done about it and what the plans were for Central High School students in the meantime.

With many coming away from Monday’s meeting with still unanswered questions, it was obvious the Education Department’s plans for Central’s students still weren’t yet finalized.

Education spokeswoman Ananta Pancham said following Monday’s meeting that a definitive answer on the course of action should be made known by the department no later than Friday.

Two plans include getting a green light from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and having Central students return to campus or, what seems more likely given the tone of Monday’s meeting, having Central students attend Complex High School in the afternoon and early evening starting April 1 while Complex students would attend in the morning and be dismissed around midday, what officials are calling “double session.”

Gov. John deJongh Jr. started the meeting off stressing that the health and well being of students and staff on the campus of Central High School and in the nearby community were of the utmost importance.

“We care most importantly and altogether about the health of our community,” deJongh said.

The governor even positively acknowledged the student-led demonstration that took place in front of Government House in Christiansted earlier that morning.

“All they cared about is knowing what we are doing, when can they start learning and how can we get everything back in place so that they can get the education they want,” deJongh said.

“Their message was very clear to us. Find out what the problem is and get us back in school, and that’s what we want to do.”

Following the governor’s remarks, DPNR Commissioner Alicia Barnes took people through a detailed explanation of how the problem has been tackled so far and how officials now believe the problem may stem from a dilapidated, nearby sewer system. Her comments echoed a government house news release put out earlier in the day.

In that release, EPA’s on-scene coordinator reported two primary observations from the day’s testing: the first being that an abandoned sewer system consisting of two man holes on the campus of Central High School had been discovered; and that at a manhole site in proximity to the school, but not on the campus, testers found elevated readings of hydrogen sulfide.

Government House said additional staff and more equipment were arriving on-island and that site investigations would continue with a slew of agencies participating – including DPNR; the Departments of Public Works, Education, and Labor; VITEMA; and the 23rd Civil Support Team of the V.I. National Guard, which have been installing air monitors across the school campus.

Barnes said DPNR had been inundated with calls going back to late February relative to odor complaints and concerns at Central High School, and that DPNR even made unannounced site inspections at Hovensa and Diageo since then as a result of the smells. Both companies were compliant with what they’d been permitted for and nothing was found in connection to Central High School’s problem, Barnes said.

New testing since then with additional EPA help, she said, had led to the latest theory, which officials are still trying to prove as the cause.

“We truly believe that what is occurring at the campus of St. Croix Central High School is the result of a compromise or some issue with the wastewater and storm water infrastructure,” Barnes said. “We feel it’s an issue that is isolated to the sewer system in and around the campus. … I’m very comfortable in stating that we have honed in on a very likely or potential source.”

When it came to the education of Central’s students, which has more or less been on hold since the incident began, St. Croix District Superintendent of Schools Gary Molloy said education officials were determining contingency issues and plans related to the school’s closing and trying to think in the best interest of students.

He said VITAL testing for 11th-graders would take place Wednesday and Thursday at Complex and that more details on it, in addition to everything else that could come next week with Central Students attending school at Complex, were forthcoming.

Molloy added that core subject books were being placed in the public libraries for student use; that students were being encouraged to stay connected with their teachers electronically; and that the opportunities were there so the students could still graduate on time.

“We’re putting the contingency plans in place to make sure we keep our students on track,” he said.

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