A meeting for the parents of Central High School students will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the amphitheater of St. Croix Educational Complex to discuss plans for resuming the school year, but the CHS campus will remain closed at least through Monday.
Officials closed the high school after periodic outbreaks of a strong, unpleasant odor caused repeated early dismissals culminating Tuesday with almost three dozens students and faculty going to the emergency room at Juan F. Luis Memorial Hospital for treatment of a variety of symptoms. The school was closed Tuesday, and officials planned to track down the cause of the odor and reopen Monday.
But the source of the odor remains elusive. Friday night Department of Education spokeswoman Ananta Pancham said investigators still have not found the cause of the problem. A team from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will arrive on island Sunday to help with the probe.
In the meantime, officials from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and other V.I. government agencies have been exploring the campus’ plumbing and sewage lines, among other places, to find a cause.
Meanwhile school officials are working on a Plan B, in case the Central campus has to remain shuttered indefinitely. Those plans had not come together as of Friday. Pancham said department officials first briefed the American Federation of Teachers, which represents faculty members, and then representatives of the PTA.
She urged all parents of Central High students to make sure to attend Monday’s meeting.
