The Virgin Islands Board of Education and the Department of Education told a Senate committee on Nov. 12 that a standalone Virgin Islands and Caribbean history curriculum has been developed and conditionally approved, but that implementation at the high‑school level poses scheduling and staffing challenges that must be resolved before full compliance can be certified.

Dr. Kaiser A. Callwood, chairman of the Virgin Islands Board of Education, said the board and department “have worked collaboratively to advance this priority” and that the board approved a comprehensive implementation plan in August intended to bring classrooms into compliance with 17 V.I.C. §41(c)(1) as amended by Act 87‑30 and the court’s order. “The board reaffirms its commitment to the successful, full, and faithful implementation,” Callwood said.

Assistant Commissioner Victor Somme III told senators that K–8 instruction is already being offered as a special — “twice per week, 30 minutes per day” — and that the department has provided pacing guides, teacher resources and training. “Our efforts are ongoing, senator. We are attempting full‑well to comply with the mandate by the courts,” Somme said.

But senators and school leaders pressed officials over unresolved questions at the high‑school level: how many additional credits the mandate creates for seniors, how the requirement affects CTE and dual‑enrollment pathways, and whether current staffing is sufficient. Deputy Commissioner Renee Charleswell described discussions about credit allocation and said the department and board have considered “creative” scheduling — dividing the 9–12 VI history course into quarter credits and using flex periods — but added, “We haven’t worked out the kinks in all honesty.”

Superintendents and principals warned of teacher shortages and classroom scheduling conflicts that could prevent some seniors from graduating if not resolved. Carla Bastian Knight, insular superintendent for the St. Croix District, described shortages at individual schools and estimated additional teaching sections would be needed to reach all students. Several senators urged the Board of Education and the Department of Education to coordinate a single territorial plan for rollout and to delay planned walkthrough inspections until teachers have approved materials and training.

Officials said a 20‑page resource list (digital and print), assessment tools and professional development are available and that schools have begun soft rollouts at lower grades. The board said final verification of compliance will follow school walk‑throughs scheduled in mid‑November; the board has conditioned approval on that verification. The department also signaled it will review the statute (17 V.I.C. §41(c)(1)) and recommend amendments if the current language proves unworkable in practice.

Next steps: the board will conduct the scheduled walk‑throughs and report back to the committee; the department said it will continue targeted training and provide senators with documentation showing distribution of curriculum and teacher acknowledgements. The committee asked both entities to present a joint plan addressing high‑school credit allocation, an inventory of materials distributed to teachers, and a timeline for staffing or scheduling fixes.