Aug. 14, 2008 — Parents on St. Croix will now have to make an appointment to register their children for school, and will no longer have the luxury of walk-ins.
The St. Croix School District established a new policy following an altercation between parents a day earlier at the Theodora Dunbavin Complex, which houses the Office of Pupil Personnel, said Education Department Spokeswoman Juel Anderson. Backlogs and mounting frustration within the group apparently led up to the altercation, she said.
"There were parents there who should have registered their students in March and April," Anderson said.
The St. Thomas-St. John School district has not experienced such problems, so no changes have been made to its current walk-in policy, she said.
The backlog of parents trying to register their children so close to the start of the new school year is an issue "that has long plagued both the department and the persons it serves," said St. Croix Acting Superintendent Maria Encarnacion, according to a statement issued Thursday.
Employees in the St. Croix district came up with the new plan to improve communication and interaction within the unit and the public, she said.
Registration by appointment will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and missed appointments must be rescheduled.
"We are asking all parents who wish to register their child or children to adhere to the new policy and help us to serve them better," Encarnacion said.
School personnel were alerted to the altercation between the parents Wednesday after police showed up at the Dunbavin complex. Contrary to some reports, the scuffle did not take place between staff members and parents, according to Anderson.
Staff members "didn't even know this was going on outside until police showed up," she said.
The Education Department registers students via a three-phase process, Anderson said. The first phase deals with registration for would-be kindergartners, and the second phase is for those from grades 1-12.
"We are currently in the third phase of our registration period prior to an upcoming school year, and we're are still receiving students (who) should have been registered in the first phase — which is dedicated to students who would be entering kindergarten," said Fern McAlpin, coordinator of Pupil Personnel Services on St. Croix, according to the statement.
McAlpin praised prompt assistance by the V.I. Police Department when the altercation unfolded between the parents. Anderson did not immediately know how many parents were at the complex on Wednesday, but said that, on average, the staff can accommodate about 40 registrations without difficulty.
McAlpin singled out Officers Tehran Parris and Alinthea Carbon "for their prompt response and mediation of the situation on Wednesday," and said that they were back at the site Thursday as a precautionary measure and that they "set the tone for the day."
Parents who need to register a child are required to bring the child's Social Security card, original birth certificate, immunization card with attached clearance from the V.I. Department of Health's Immunization Program, the parent or guardian's proof of physical address, and an affidavit of legal guardianship if the child does not live with the parent.
The immunization card, with the attached "blue" clearance form issued by the V.I. Department of Health, is a mandatory for the registration process, and no exceptions will be made, Anderson said.
The Education Department also reminds parents that a child must be five years old by Dec. 31, 2008, to enter kindergarten.
Parents can schedule an appointment by calling 718-9671
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