Crisis mode! Education minister and CEO paint grim picture of ESHS
The Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) is facing serious challenges, with reports of student violence, drug use, and mental health issues painting a grim picture of the school environment.
Education Minister Sharie deCastro and Chief Education Officer (CEO) Orlandette Crabbe painted a dire picture of the extent of the crisis during a recent appearance on the “Talking Points” radio show, urging the community to rally together for change.
The alarming situation at ESHS includes incidents of students bringing weapons to school and engaging in drug use. “We’re seeing knives with nunchucks on them, fake weapons… the drugs, the paraphernalia,” deCastro stated while stressing the urgent need for a zero-tolerance policy.
Late last week, the school announced a new policy of immediate suspensions for students found with contraband items on school grounds. The announcement came amid reports of increased attacks coming from parents whose children were found with such items. “We have to search everybody… to make sure that we cover everybody,” Crabbe added. “We do random searches. So not every student coming through the gate is searched every single day”.
Minister deCastro further explained that students who normally would not engage in such behaviours are being influenced by peer pressure. “We’re seeing students who wouldn’t ordinarily get involved in these things then starting to engage,” she noted. “It’s not that you could necessarily pinpoint all the students… based on that pressure or that involvement, [they] have started to take on these types of behaviours that we’re trying to eradicate.”
Mental health crisis and behavioural challenges
Both deCastro and Crabbe pointed to mental health issues as a significant factor contributing to disruptive behaviour.
“A lot of our young people are suffering with severe mental health challenges that are causing them to lash out in ways that we see as misbehaviour,” Crabbe explained. She emphasised that the mental health crisis among students is partly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To address this, the Ministry of Education initiated a psychoeducational assessment programme. “We had all of them go and do a psycho-educational assessment… because the behaviours are pervasive, they’re persistent, their logic and reasoning does not align with their chronological age,” Crabbe said while underscoring the complex nature of the behavioural challenges faced at the high school.
Parental involvement and community support
The education leaders called for greater parental and community involvement to address the deep-rooted issues affecting students.
“We need the support of these agencies to assist in the remediation of these young people,” deCastro urged. She also called on parents to engage more actively with their children’s education, stressing, “If you have to check your child’s bag before they go to school… that’s what you’re going to have to start doing every morning.”
DeCastro and Crabbe also appealed for mentorship and community participation, noting that school resource officers are now stationed at ESHS to improve safety and build positive relationships with students.
“We need more adult presence. Mentors. Talk to the young people. It really helps,” deCastro said, appealing to alumni and community members to volunteer their time.
Copyright 2025 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
That’s when you put kids to do adults work. Hon. Decastro is not ready for the job of education minister. She was not a good teacher to begin with and she has zero management or leadership experience. Rather than taking the time to learn from her more experienced staff like former chief education officer and her current permanent secretary she has been pushing them out to elevate her bestie OC. The crisis is not just at the high school. The crisis is in the entire ministry. It is one big mess!
thats why the one man tell her go sit down….. but she catch feelings one time lolol…. thats wa happen when u put women in power…. HOA had to pause because u want a apology while other pressing matters are there?
that’s same bestie think she is a big bad wolf!! let she continue many has come many has gone!!
Up and down traveling while Rome is burning. Nothing is happening in education whatsoever. This robotics thing she seemed obsessed with taking all the money while the students could hardly read. It’s a shame.
I had faith in you but honestly you are not fit to lead and the voice and energy you had before you got in disappeared as you get in.
Only thing memorable from being in there was taking trips to the Olympics and giving grants to your other half.
I agree with you Sharrie 100%. And what is altering their mental health? The bunch of narcotic drugs that they are smoking or ingesting. Children raising children. These child parents support the children’s behaviour and when they get out of hand, they blame everyone else but themselves. Look how they fight up with the schools when the schools implement rules for the children’s own good. Children now on the streets all hours of the night and morning. Times have changed for the worse.
Unfortunately, it had to come to this. Why not install metal detectors? Some of those children are using other children who you would not suspect to have anything in their bags to smuggle it in for them. Then there are times when they are throwing stuff over the wall.
when i was in school around 2007 they had metal detectors we had to walk through everyday
Most those parents are kids themselves I mean that metaphorically. They refuse to think maturely refuse to give up their teenage ways and frame of thought. Most those kids are ACCIDENTAL kids that most single mothers dealing with because the LAW states they mut. Most have such hate in their hearts for the father they can’t stand the child. The child notices this and reacts accordingly. The lack of fathers present while mixing that with bitter bitch syndrome creates monsters both male and female.
the problems with the school start at home, many of them come from broken homes, no father figures in their homes or parents that have no morals, fix the homes and we fix the schools
On a children’s mental health fact finding mission ,good idea.
When people are incompetent they always blame everyone else! If these people are not up to the task with our education system they should do the honorable thing and resign. You are elected to being forth solutions and to LEAD, not to complain. With all being said here they still sat back and allowed the Technical School to go into ruins. These people never run anything in their lives besides their mouths but we are shocked that they are incapable of completing the simplest tasks. They cannot take constructive criticism and this is the issue. Take a look at the persons holding the top positions in education and you will see why we are f**ked. Being a teacher does not make you a good manager and that’s the problem.
Sharie de Castro is an ABJECT FAILURE as Education Minister. Most people want to sugarcoat things because she is a young female with a college degree and a local last name. This is why we will never move forward as a Territory. The young lady has never managed anything in her life. She was a teacher at ESHS and she ran when things got hard. We continue to make emotional decisions at the polls and then act confused when we see these people in action. Her portfolio should be renamed the ‘PTC Ministry’ – Poems Travel Complain. The BVI deserves everything it gets from a political standpoint because we are nasty minded and everything is emotional as opposed to practical and based on reality.
I’m not in anyway saying that the children are not rude and out of order Neither am I saying that some of the parents aren’t immature and actually enables the negative behavior of their children. But.., as is being suggested by those in charge, other people are at fault too and should also be held accountable for their actions. I speak directly to the way some of the public school teachers speak to the students. The way they frustrate, humiliate, insult , intimidate and belittle them. I urge everyone to take a minute out of your busy schedule and try to understand the terms “cause and effect” and apply it to this situation at ESHS and the other primary schools in the territory. I’m of the opinion though that the causes will be overlooked and only the effects will be highlighted because of the circle of friends that exists within that unit,
Bravo to you, kudos. 1000% transparent comment.
“voting has consequences”
due to ‘water issues’ and the students allegedly now learn remotely. Just shut down ESHS for in person students. Teach remotely for the next few years and keep the students off the campus unless invited and escorted by the police while on campus.
Take these children to church and let the pastors pray with and for them. Some of you don’t know where the churches are and some of you go and leave them at home. Prayer changes things. We all drop the ball sometimes, but we have to live in a world with these young people and for a better quality of life for all of us, we have to do the very best we can for our children. We love them and they are brilliant. Let’s work hard to keep the evil workings of the enemy out of their lives.
ESHS, that campus is not so big anymore that children should be getting away with all of these things. Teacher Jenny Wheatley walked the campus with a stick and seldom sat down in her office. We didn’t have security guards then. We have them now. So the principal has to make sure they walk around all day long and keep an eye out. There should be a guard passing each block every few minutes for I see many of them. We have to put in the work for our children’s future.
Save deh youths
Now y’all paying attention with the youths them don’t dig in deep
Good luck but I appreciate any efforts made
As for the parents shame on you for being aggressive towards the school when they point these things out to y’all.
Y’all are apart of the problem and when y’all kids grow up and become out of control you will be the ones crying out especially when them end up 6 feet under
Madness fr
If I was a teacher there I was not backing down to no parent once there hard facts
Wrong is wrong and right is right
Y’all got the public school like a cesspool smh
It started (not really started) with Fahie. The [former]premier being a drug lord and the now elected leaders not taking a stance against him.
The kids are just following their leaders and parents.
I WAS A TEACHER AND ONE OF THOSE RUG RATS AKA BEBE KIDS
PARENTS COME IN MY FACE WITH THE GHETTO HOOD RAT AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR I WOULD HAVE JAM MY TASER DOWN THE PARENT THROAT AND THEN RESIGN FROM TEACHING. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THESE GHETTO HOOD RAT PARENTS RATCHET BEHAVIOR. YOU GHETTO HOOD RAT MOTHERS NEED TO SPEND THE TIME TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN SOME HOME TRAINING AND MANNERS RATHER THAN WALKING AROUND MESSING WITH EVERY DOG THAT LOOK IN YOUR FACE AND UP IN THE HOOD RAT CLUBS AND BARS SELLING YOURSELVES FOR A DRINK YOU DIRTY NO VALUE DAMAGED GOODS RATCHET GHETTO HOOD RATS.
The Post-COVID Youth Crisis: Unraveling the Surge in Violence, Drug Use, and Weaponization in Schools
The COVID-19 pandemic left an indelible mark on society, with its effects rippling far beyond public health and economic stability. In its aftermath, a deeply unsettling trend has emerged—an alarming increase in youth violence, substance abuse, and the presence of dangerous weapons in schools. Research suggests that the psychological, social, and physiological disruptions caused by extended lockdowns and vaccination efforts may have played a critical role in this crisis. The question now looms: how did we get here, and more importantly, how do we fix it?
One of the most devastating consequences of the pandemic has been the decline in mental health among young people. The abrupt halt of normal life, extended isolation, and fear of illness created an environment ripe for anxiety, depression, and emotional instability. School closures deprived students of critical social interactions, exacerbating feelings of loneliness and detachment. When schools finally reopened, many students returned carrying invisible wounds—struggling with impulse control, heightened aggression, and an inability to reintegrate into structured environments. Without adequate mental health support, these unresolved emotions found expression in violence and reckless behavior.
Adding to this turmoil was the breakdown of essential social structures. Adolescence is a crucial period of identity formation, heavily influenced by interactions with peers, teachers, and community figures. The pandemic obliterated these vital connections, replacing them with social isolation, fractured relationships, and, for many, dysfunctional family dynamics. As a result, young people sought alternative sources of belonging—some turning to gang culture, substance abuse, or aggressive behavior as a means of asserting control over their fractured worlds. Economic stressors within families further compounded these issues, as financial instability led to increased household tensions and neglect.
A more controversial yet increasingly discussed factor is the potential physiological and neurological impact of the pandemic. Some researchers have raised concerns about the long-term effects of COVID-19 infections and vaccinations on brain chemistry, particularly in relation to impulse control and behavioral regulation. While definitive evidence remains elusive, this area warrants deeper exploration as we attempt to understand whether biological factors have played a role in the rise of post-pandemic youth violence.
Another significant contributor to this crisis is the unchecked influence of digital spaces. With schools shut down and in-person interactions limited, young people turned to the internet as their primary means of engagement. However, unsupervised digital consumption exposed them to violent content, extremist ideologies, and online radicalization. Social media algorithms fed them an endless cycle of aggression, misinformation, and harmful trends, fueling negative behavioral patterns. Many adolescents became desensitized to violence, with some even finding virtual communities that encouraged delinquency and reckless behavior.
A nation with a population of less than 30,000 has no margin for error or experiments like America, which boasts over 300 million citizens. Yet, liberal politics and value systems from America have been imported wholesale into the British Virgin Islands, influencing policies and social norms. It is neither crude nor outdated to instill discipline in young people. Giving children absolute rights is a high-risk approach, as their risk assessment abilities remain weak and unstable due to their developmental stage. Since morals were redefined about 30 years ago, the door was left ajar for a flood of liberal ideologies. Many modern conceptions of family and social responsibility have been shaped more by pleasure than by a true commitment to raising the next generation. This shift explains the rising cases of child support disputes and abortions—evidence of a society where conception is often divorced from responsibility and divine purpose.
Conception was divinely designed to be a product of divine assignment wrapped in the foil of love. Without love, the connection between parents and children weakens, leaving both parties emotionally adrift. Today, many women seek companionship with men solely for sex, and vice versa, reducing relationships to mere transactions. The mother is the first friend and teacher of a child, yet the dissolution of stable family structures has eroded this fundamental role. The love between parents sets the foundation for a child’s ability to form healthy relationships with peers and teachers. However, in the wake of the pandemic, young people have found a new and often misleading friend—social media. COVID-19 and lockdowns nurtured this dependence, further distancing them from meaningful human connections.
Due to misplaced ideas about rights and freedom, we once believed that placing a security scanner at school entrances was an invasion of students’ privacy. For years, we resisted building walls around high schools because some politically correct voices among us saw walls as symbols of imprisonment. Now, many of the same young people who were spared school walls are permanently living behind prison walls. Two decades ago, police were not permitted on secondary school premises out of concern for the psychological impact on children. Ironically, we may soon have to establish police posts within school grounds just to contain the escalating crisis. The reality is that we are reaping what we sowed. For years, we debated whether students should be searched at the gates each morning. Many opposed it, claiming it would be embarrassing.
Let us also examine the hyperactivity noticeable among today’s youth. A significant contributing factor is the processed food we feed our children, with sugar being the worst culprit. Sugar addiction is real, and it plays a major role in the erratic behavior seen in many young people. Try eliminating sugar from their diets for three months, and the difference will be striking—calmer, more focused youth. We must recognize that our choices, whether in policy, parenting, or nutrition, shape the society we live in.
It is time to restore dignity to families. Let’s move away from the transient boyfriend/girlfriend culture and return to the foundation of marriage, where true love is cultivated and nurtured. Strong families build strong societies, and only by reinforcing this core value can we steer the next generation away from the abyss of violence, addiction, and social disarray.
Addressing this crisis requires urgent and multi-faceted action. Strengthening mental health support in schools is paramount—trained counselors, peer-support initiatives, and an integrated approach to emotional well-being must be woven into the fabric of education. Additionally, rebuilding community-based intervention programs can provide at-risk youth with mentorship, positive role models, and constructive alternatives to violence and substance abuse. Parental guidance and awareness initiatives must also take center stage, equipping caregivers with tools to foster open communication, set boundaries, and recognize warning signs in their children.
Equally crucial is the enforcement of stricter regulations on weapons and substance control. Schools must implement heightened security measures, while law enforcement agencies should collaborate with educational institutions to prevent the proliferation of illicit drugs and dangerous weapons among students. Moreover, policymakers must acknowledge the long-term effects of the pandemic on youth development and prioritize educational and social reforms that facilitate post-pandemic recovery. Investments in school infrastructure, mental health services, and youth engagement programs must be prioritized to create safer, more nurturing environments.
The post-COVID youth crisis is a wake-up call—a stark reminder that the psychological and social well-being of young people cannot be ignored. While the pandemic may have acted as a catalyst, the underlying vulnerabilities were always present. Addressing this crisis requires a collective effort, one that acknowledges the depth of the issue while proactively building a future where young people can heal, thrive, and reclaim a sense of security. If decisive action is taken now, there is hope that this troubling trajectory can be reversed, paving the way for a healthier, more stable generation. I can be reached at [email protected]
If DeCastro was on the outside she would never have been qualified or given a job to run/and be in charge of Education. She may have gotten a job within the Board of Education on a lower scale. She is not qualified nor does she have the experience to run the Education Department Just like Vincent Wheatley does not have the qualifications nor the experience to run the Health Department. Just keeping it real y’all.
This is an excellent read! It takes each of us as individuals to get back to the basics, get back to morals. Until we all model behaviour we are expecting of the children, change will be
slow. There are some things that must be stopped
-Molestation/sexual abuse
=Multiple partners. Children are observing how the mother or father is treated.
-having multiple children for different men or women. Creating a culture of single parent homes
-stop having children for married men or women. This intentionally puts children at risk and sets them up for rejection.
-Verbal and physical abuse must stop. Parent to parent or parent to child
-Stop drinking or using drugs
-criminality
Some would not like to hear this, but we all have to take stock and improve if we truly want to see a better society. Government alone cannot do it. The power is in us.
Pay back the Covid grants!
Am I missing something here? What Shari as an education minister have to do with kids taking drugs and mental issues? What about our failed communities? We as a community are failing these kids, we as parents failing these kids, some of our teachers just teaching for a pay… The homes are broken, too many absent fathers . Some parents needs to star being parents, STOP this crap about when you’re too hard on a child , it causes mental issues. The mental issues is the dam phones and the dam absent parenting….so disappointing with these response a bunch of educated fools