Governor de Jongh Takes Action on Education
Related Measures Passed by the 28th Legislature

On Wednesday, Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. approved three education and child-safety related bills but used his veto pen to strike down one measure whose impact would be extremely problematic for the government. 

de Jongh told the Senate that with respect to the protection of the children in the territory, “my Administration has given particular emphasis on ensuring their health, safety and welfare at all times.” 

In today’s action, the governor approved anti-pornography legislation in Bill 28-0008, which represents a great effort to protect our children from sexual exploitation in all modes of communication. He also approved Bill 28-0189 which creates a farm-to-school program. This, he said, is a creative measure that partners the Departments of Education and Agriculture to bring agricultural products grown by our farmers into the education system. “I approved this measure because it will serve to develop a dedicated market for local farmers, while encouraging our children toward healthy eating habits, which is central to our Healthy VI initiative. This is consistent with our ongoing efforts to establish compost and gardening programs in our public schools and to expose our students to the benefits of self-sufficiency in this area.”

de Jongh also approved Bill 28-0167 to enact the Interstate Compact for Juveniles Act, which allows the Virgin Islands to join with States that are a part of the Compact which governs the process of facilitating the transfer of court-supervised juveniles across state and territorial lines. 

The governor vetoed Bill 28-0155, because although it proposes to enact the Education Policy Improvement Act of 2010 and implement educational policy initiatives, its overall impact is extremely problematic. “Under the provisions of this bill a costly mandate is created for the Government of the Virgin Islands to develop and implement valid and reliable tests for 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 12th grades. In addition, the measure unnecessarily burdens the Department of Education with additional standardized proficiency testing as it strides to meet the existing federal mandate to conduct the annual Virgin Islands Territorial Assessment of Learning (VITAL) testing under the No Child Left Behind Act.” He said further that while Bill 28-0155 raises the age of compulsory education to age 18, there is no provision to balance the need that will arise for alternative educational programs. 

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