Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Cleaning underway! Mould forces return of online classes for seniors

Cleaning underway! Mould forces return of online classes for seniors

A mould infestation has reportedly forced the abrupt closure of the old Clarence Thomas Limited (CTL) building at Pasea Estate which houses senior Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) students.

The issue has caused the return of online classes for the next few days starting today, straight into next week.

This comes after students at the school recently returned to face-to-face sessions this term, following a year of online classes due to COVID-19.

When contacted for a comment on the issue, Education Minister, Dr Natalio Wheatley told BVI News the Pasea campus of Elmore Stoutt High School will be cleaned thoroughly for mould.

According to the Education Minister, “this is in keeping with the ministry’s commitment to eradicate mould in the learning environment and to present a safe and healthy space for administrators, teachers, students, and support staff.”

The notice of no physical classes was issued late last evening through various social media platforms, including a very brief Facebook message from the school’s Rams Media Group page.

Later in the evening, an email from the ESHS Principal, Vanessa Garraway, offered further details about the closure and how students should proceed.

Garraway said all classes, including technical classes which are usually held at the Lower Estate campus, are expected to remain online until the end of the period.

Reopening information, she said, will be communicated as soon as the process is completed and the building is ready.

Students are expected to check emails and Google classroom daily for updates.

Students struggle with breathing at CTL campus


Meanwhile, in a Facebook message posted yesterday afternoon, a high school teacher at the CTL campus made an earnest plea for something to be done about the dire situation at the campus.

In the message which garnered more than 100 reactions, the teacher, who is also a parent, said she was writing to plead with parents to take a stand for the children and avoid waiting until someone becomes a statistic or headline news.

She expressed that there has been no nurse assigned to the campus over the years and related an issue where a student suffered breathing challenges reportedly related to the mould issue.

“On my way to Riteway, I saw a student bent over struggling to breathe. I stopped and asked if she was ok. She could barely speak. She managed to tell me that she had asthma and was struggling. She had her pump, but it didn’t seem to be helping,” the teacher recalled.

Not knocking gov’t, several students want to leave


According to the educator, several students have asked to be allowed to leave the building, as they too struggled to breathe. She was quick to add that the students were not delinquent and were not inclined to be faking their condition.

“They are really struggling,” the teacher added. “Many of us are well aware that our children deal with medical issues, yet we send them to a school without a nurse. Even without a prior medical record, we know anything can happen.”

She continued: “My biggest fear is that one day we will have a situation that causes serious damage on my campus. Damage that may be mitigated if we had a trained nurse on hand. We all know the ambulance takes a while to get to most locations.”

The teacher advocated for someone to speak up, and said hoping for the best after dropping off students at the school was not enough. “We take the health of our children in our hands when we stay quiet,” she urged.

She added the caveat that her statements were not a knock on any government official since the students were there before the current administration. She said her statements were, rather, a cry for help.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×