The Virgin Islands Department of Education confirmed late Sunday night that it is reviewing sexual abuse allegations tied to past incidents at Joseph Gomez Elementary School on St. Thomas after reports surfaced that an assistant principal had been suspended.
In a statement issued late Sunday night, the department said the allegations were not current but acknowledged they had prompted personnel changes “to maintain the integrity, effectiveness, and transparency of our operations.” Officials declined to provide details, citing confidentiality rules under the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement, but said appropriate action had been taken.
The statement came after a St. Thomas high school student recently reported that while attending Gomez they were sexually assaulted by the now-suspended administrator.
“The Department is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities to ensure a comprehensive and impartial investigation,” Sunday’s statement read. “While we recognize the community’s interest in transparency, we must also honor the privacy rights of those involved and protect the integrity of the ongoing review.”
The disclosure has reignited questions about accountability and transparency within the school system, particularly in the wake of the Alfredo Bruce Smith case, one of the most high-profile abuse prosecutions in Virgin Islands history.
Smith, a former Charlotte Amalie High School coach and hall monitor, was sentenced in 2024 to 35 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of child sexual exploitation. Federal investigators found that his abuse spanned nearly 15 years and included numerous victims. Meanwhile, the V.I. Justice Department has not released the full findings of its own review into how local authorities and school officials handled complaints that may have arisen while Smith was employed.
Attorney General Gordon Rhea confirmed last fall that the DOJ’s Special Investigations Unit, under Deputy Attorney General Ian Clement, had been tasked with examining whether opportunities were missed to intervene or whether officials failed to act. He said then that prosecutors were exploring legal options for holding accountable those who did not report suspected abuse, but no report has yet been made public.
