(a)
(1) The Department of Education is authorized and directed to establish and maintain an integrated basic agriculture education program within the current curriculum administered by qualified educators and teachers, in every public school in the Virgin Islands. The Department of Education, in collaboration with The Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture and the United States Cooperative Extension Service of the University of the Virgin Islands will develop the curriculum for the Agriculture in the Classroom Program. The program will utilize a network of local volunteers such as high school students for On the Job Training, parents, retired teachers, local farmers and business across each district. These individuals and businesses will provide supplies, equipment and knowledge towards the enhancement of the program. The United States Department of Agriculture will be used as a resource to assist the territory in carrying out coordination of the Agriculture in the Classroom Program efforts by providing program ideas and materials.
(2) The Department of Education shall seek the assistance of other government agencies and private organizations that are involved in the area of agriculture education for development and implementation of an agriculture education curriculum guide composed of thematic units, lesson plans, and educational field trips that are aligned with the academic content standards of the Department of Education for grades Kindergarten through grade twelve.
(3) The Department of Education shall arrange for at least one workshop per year for each school district to provide training to public school teachers in the following areas:
1. how to use agriculture education to supplement and enhance the teacher's existing classroom curriculum;
2. the development of agricultural curriculum activities applicable to students from kindergarten through grade twelve; and
3. how to properly conduct agricultural curriculum activities.
(b) Each teacher will prepare instruction to assist the students when on a field trip regarding the types of animals, birds, etc in our environment. Visual aids will be used in lesson plans. Every child will be educated about food, fiber and natural resources. The goal of the program is to ensure that students can:
(A) Explain or demonstrate how plants and animals grow.
(B) Explain or demonstrate knowledge of where their food originates.
(C) Understand that plants and animals need food and water to live.
(D) Explain the major needs of plants and animals (including humans).
(E) Explain the relationship between plants and animals (food sources; food chain).
(F) Explain that farmers and others make a living by growing and producing food, fiber and fuel.
(G) Explain the relationship between environments and the plants and animals that live in them (dependency; food chain).
(H) Differentiate between processed and fresh foods and determine some of the nutritional value of each.
(I) Identify good food choices.
(J) Explain that many people work in agriculture growing and producing food; and making other products including clothing, building materials, hair products, sheets, fuel, growing trees and biomass.
(K) Describe the life cycle of plants and animals.
(L) Describe how plants and animals depend on each other (how their life cycles are interconnected).
(M) Participate in growing a classroom or school garden.
(N) Determine simple products that come directly from plants and animals
(O) List the major parts of a plant (roots, stem, leaf, flower).
(P) Describe how plants and animals affect the environment.
(Q) Explain some of the differentiated jobs in the agriculture and natural resources industry; for example: soil scientist, horticulturalist, nutritionist, chemist, microbiologist, etc.
(R) Explain how plants need water, nutrients, and sunlight to grow.
(S) List the major parts of a plant (roots, stem, leaf, flower).
(T) Describe photosynthesis and its role in plant health.
(U) Describe the need for nutritious food for animals.
(V) Explain how plants use water to get their food (available nutrients in soil and supplements: organic and synthetic fertilizers).
(W) Describe the agricultural history of the Virgin Islands.
(X) List the major parts of a plant and describe their functions.
(Y) Distinguish between organic and inorganic fertilizers.
(Z) Explain how agriculture affects the environment.
(AA) Discuss the importance of the agriculture industry in the Territory, the United States and the world.
(BB) Describe the agricultural history of the Virgin Islands.
(CC) Describe the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the carbon cycle.
(DD) Explain the need for conservation of soil, water, and other natural resources.
(EE) Describe how food products are priced and how farmers make money from the labors of producing food.
(FF) Describe several ways of producing food (in soil, greenhouse production, hydroponics, aquaculture, etc.).
(c) Each public elementary school in the Territory shall develop a school garden or greenhouse on the school grounds for use as an agriculture education resource. The Department of Education shall develop, research, and coordinate the best available practices regarding appropriate curriculum for school garden programs in kindergarten through 6th grade, in consultation with education and agricultural experts.
(d) The Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Education, with assistance from the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture, shall prepare a budget for the Agriculture in the Classroom Program pursuant to title 2, section 23 of the Virgin Islands Code.