Schools to open with online-only instruction

SANTA FE — New Mexico’s public schools will open the year with online-only instruction, and will continue to do so until at least the Labor Day weekend.

That was announced Thursday, during a press conference from Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham. The governor noted infection rates for COVID-19 haven’t gone down as state officials had initially hoped, despite good news on most gating criteria.

The state set a single-day record Thursday with 343 confirmed cases, including seven in Curry County and six in Roosevelt County.

As of Friday, the state had confirmed 18,475 cases and 601 deaths, with 161 current hospitalizations and 7,156 cases designated as recovered.

Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart called the decision to delay in-person learning a difficult one, but noted when the Public Education Department first started re-entry plans a month ago there was optimism new cases would be around 50 per day, and the last seven days have been just over 300.

“We know our kids need to be back in school,” Stewart said. “There’s no substitute for strong, in-person learning.”

Online instruction will begin as previously scheduled, but the governor said “Additional time is needed to assure our students, families and educators” are able to gather safely in classrooms during the pandemic.

“I know this is a really hard decision,” Lujan Grisham said, noting the early announcement should give the state and school districts some time to prepare remote learning. “There are parents who are going to be concerned about child care. We’re working on it.”

Portales Schools Superintendent Johnnie Cain said the decision was something he suspected would happen with the rise in confirmed cases.

The Portales district had planned to begin school Aug. 18 for middle and high school students and Aug. 24 for Pre-K through sixth. The middle and high school students will still begin Aug. 18 in distance education, and the lower grades will begin Sept. 8.

“Administrative staff and principals will be meeting early (this) week to work on the many details that need to be finalized,” Cain told The News. “I hope to provide final school starting information to parents and the community by Thursday.”

Clovis Schools Superintendent Renee Russ told The News Saturday the district will go with a remote learning plan detailed in its recently-released plans, but there is disappointment in starting with distance education.

“Having the opportunity to interact in person with students and families would have made the beginning of the year much easier,” Russ said. “We are developing plans now to facilitate return of student belongings from last year and to orchestrate COVID-safe strategies to ensure every student has their Chromebook and other materials for the first day and week.”

The state will allow certain exceptions for in-person instruction for students with special needs and those kids most in need of help in grades K-3.

“Those are the students for whom it’s hardest to teach the literacy skills,” said Education Secretary Ryan Stewart, who had his own media roundtable Friday morning.

In those cases, instruction will be limited to one teacher per five students. Stewart, in response to a question as to whether districts could bring kids from different schools into one for efficiency, Stewart said it’s best for the kids to stick to the schools where they will attend.

After Labor Day, the process for reintroducing students into in-person learning will start with the hybrid model the state had hoped to use to begin the school year. Lujan Grisham said the first priority will be to get elementary students back into in-person learning, followed by middle school and high school. The younger the student, the governor said, the more difficulty they tend to have with remote learning.

School districts in public health regions with lower infection rates may be allowed to resume in-person instruction faster than others, but Lujan Grisham said none would happen before Labor Day.

Stewart said the state would continue to make decisions with a regional based approach, even if counties within those regions widely differed on infection rates. The Southeast region that includes Curry and Roosevelt counties ranges from De Baca (still no confirmed cases) to Lea County (479 cases).

When asked if remote learning could be extended past Labor Day, Lujan Grisham said it was possible but wanted to accentuate the state could change its fortunes with personal behavior. She implored New Mexicans to continue to use face coverings, with a goal of 80% to 90% compliance, and limit social interactions.

“Countries have shown unequivocally they have beaten back the virus,” the governor said. “We know it’s possible. If they can do it, we can do it.”

Sports and extracurricular activities cannot take place without in-person learning, and Cain noted the New Mexico Activities Association has stated that in-person practices can’t begin until Sept. 28, regardless of where a school has progressed on in-person learning.

The NMAA posted a short YouTube video on the decision. Director Sally Marquez said, “It doesn’t change our goal ... to play all sports in the 2020-21 school year.”