Assistant Commissioner's Office

Special Nutrition Programs is a Federally funded program that provides free breakfast, lunch, and snack to all children in both public and private schools regardless of the economic need of the children’s families. 

The School Food Authority (SFA) is passionately committed to ensuring the nutritional well-being of students across the district. Our division is at the forefront of planning, implementing, and evaluating the Child Nutrition Program (CNP), which is pivotal in providing healthy and balanced meals to our students. We take pride in overseeing the hiring, training, and supervision of dedicated food service personnel, ensuring strict compliance with state and federal regulations, and maintaining the highest standards for food safety and quality.

Serving 21 public schools and 20 private schools, the U.S.V.I. SFA provides nutritious breakfast and lunch to over 9,000 students every day. Our efforts are not just about feeding children; we are nurturing their growth, supporting their educational journey, and fostering a healthy learning environment. Through our unwavering dedication, we aim to make a lasting impact on the lives of the children we serve, ensuring they have the nourishment they need to thrive both academically and personally.

More information about this division can be found on the School Food Authority webpage.

"The Property Division/Fixed Asset Management (FAMD) provides accountability for Federal and State asset management compliance guidelines by maintaining the fixed assets and real property records of the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE)."

More information about this division can be found on the Fixed Asset Management Division webpage.

The Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) Division of Disaster Planning and School Security is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of school campuses. This division works with various agencies, including the Virgin Islands Fire Service, Virgin Islands Police Department, and Virgin Islands Rescue, to assess and address potential security vulnerabilities on school campuses. 

The division focuses on several key areas:

• School Safety and Security
• Safety Assessments
• Emergency Preparedness
• Crisis Response
• Training and Support

VIDE has ongoing initiatives to ensure campus safety, including social and emotional support for students, building out safety systems, and engaging with parents. They also work with first-responding agencies and other stakeholders to ensure a coordinated response to emergencies and threats. The division also plays a crucial role in addressing specific incidents, such as active threats, by working closely with law enforcement to ensure the safety of students, faculty, and staff. 

To learn more about the division of Disaster Planning and School Security visit their webpage.

What is Home Instruction?

As established by Title 17, §84 of the Virgin Islands Code (V.I.C./the statute/law), “children may be taught at home under rules and regulations prescribed by the (Virgin Islands) Board of Education when written permission has been granted by the Commissioner of Education for such children to remain out of school for this purpose, but such children may be examined by the Commissioner of Education or his authorized representative.”  With home instruction, a parent takes full responsibility for the education of his/her child(ren) within the home.

To learn more about the Home instruction process in the Virgin Islands, visit the Home Instruction webpage.

A Non-public school, commonly known as a private school, is a school that is not administered or funded by the government. These schools are not part of the public school system and are typically funded through tuition fees, donations, federal grants or private sources. Nonpublic schools may be religion-based, private, nonsectarian school or denominational schools.

To learn more about Non-Public Schools in the Virgin Islands, visit their webpage.

One function of the Assistant Commissioner’s Office is the creation of the Public School Calendar.

The Public School Calendar is a collaborative effort dictated by Virgin Islands Code, Title 17 – Chapter 7 - § 61a. School Calendar law and completed with input from various stakeholders including the Board of Education, and multiple collective bargaining units /unions (CBA), to include but not limited to, the St. Croix and St. Thomas and St. John American Federation of Teachers, the United Steel Workers Union, Seafarers International Union, and the Educational Administrators’ Association.

The starting and ending dates (for students) of the School Calendar is set under Virgin Islands Code, Title 17 – Chapter 7 - § 61a, School Calendar Law.  Also, the ACE must abide by 10-month faculty and staff reporting and dismissal dates established by individual CBAs.  The School Calendar Law also establishes professional development, classroom preparation, and open house/parental conference time frames; the number of instructional days; etc.

(a) The school year must begin no earlier than the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August and end no later than the second Friday in June.

(b) The Department of Education shall set the school calendar.

(c) The school calendar must include no less than a minimum of 180 days of student instruction.

(d) In the event of the declaration of a state of emergency, the Department or Education may reasonably adjust the number of hours of pupil instruction mandated by subsection (c) of this section. (e) Each student shall receive the following minimum amount of instructional hours per school year:

1. (1) Kindergarten through 3 Grade - 810 instructional hours;
2. (2) 4 Grade through 6 Grade - 900 instructional hours; and
3. (3) 7 Grade through 12 Grade - 990 instructional hours.

(f) Each student shall receive the following minimum amount of instructional hours per school day:

1. (1) Kindergarten through 3 Grade - 4.5 instructional hours;
2. (2) 4 Grade through 6 Grade - 5.0 instructional hours; and
3. (3) 7 Grade through 12 Grade - 5.5 instructional hours.

(g) A total of 1080 instructional hours must be used each school year. The difference between the 1080 instructional hours and the minimum instructional hours must be utilized for staff development as

1. (1) a minimum of three days for staff development;
2. (2) a minimum of three days for classroom preparation; and
3. (3) a minimum of two days for parent conferences and open houses.

(h) For purposes of this section, a day consists of six instructional hours.

The Assistant Commissioner (ACE) has been delegated as the Hearing Officer by the Commissioner of Education for grievance hearings and student expulsions. 

The ACE hears grievances by employees at Step III of collective bargaining agreements (CBA) for multiple unions (to include the St. Thomas-St. John and St. Croix AFT Locals 1825 and 1826, the Educational Administrators Association, United Steel Workers (USW), and Seafarers International Union (SIU).  He, along with the Labor Relations Specialist, hears grievances and appeals on behalf of the Commissioner, and recommends appropriate disciplinary actions pursuant to CBAs, the Government Employee Handbook, and relevant Territorial statutes.  The ACE also represents the Commissioner and the Department at arbitration cases and in contract negotiations.

The Commissioner is vested with the authority granted by the Virgin Islands Board of Education to expel students who commit Level IV infractions of the Student Discipline Policy upon the recommendation of principals and the Insular Superintendents.  This responsibility has been delegated to the Assistant Commissioner.