School Fights Not a Cabinet-Level Discussion, Says Governor Bryan Days Before Shocking Assault on School Bus Driver

Two days before the shocking incident where St. Croix students violently attacked a bus driver, Governor Bryan stated that student violence did not warrant a coordinated, cabinet-level response. Three students have since been arrested.

Two days before Wednesday's horrifying video that has once again shone a spotlight on the high levels of violence taking place among the territory’s youth, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. said there was no need for a coordinated, multi-agency, cabinet-level response to the growing issue of student violence when asked about the matter on Monday. “Our cabinet meetings are mostly focused on major items like Medicaid shortages, budget shortages,” he told Consortium journalists during the Government House weekly press briefing on Monday. “I’m sure the Commissioner of Education is addressing that. If she felt it needed to rise to my level, she would have brought it to my attention.

The shocking footage emerged of students from the St. Croix Central High School assaulting a school bus driver. The man is seen on the floor of the school bus while several students are seen punching the driver in the head, and kicking him in the back. The man, overwhelmed by numbers, offers little resistance to the onslaught as other students scream for the attackers to stop.