Private schools weigh options

Smaller size allows for more time to address pandemic concerns

As Santa Fe Public Schools and other New Mexico districts prepare for an all-remote start to 2020-21, private schools in the city are still considering several models of instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sudden transition to remote learning in March challenged private schools, several leaders said, but they were able to adapt swiftly, in part due to their small size and solid financial standing.

Desert Academy is one exception. The private International Baccalaureate school for students in grades 6-12 has decided to close for the year due to economic uncertainties and a drop in enrollment.

It will only allow seniors to allow them to complete their International Baccalaureate degrees.

Other institutions, such as Santa Fe Preparatory School and St. Michael’s High School, have been working for several months to design flexible plans for the new year to help adjust to the changing conditions of the pandemic and state restrictions.

Many schools had hoped to allow students to return to their campuses at least part time.

Last week’s decision by the Santa Fe school district to start the year with nine weeks of distance learning has prompted some private school leaders to reconsider a full return to classrooms.

A collaborative group of leaders of independent private schools — which includes Santa Fe Prep and St. Michael’s as well as Santa Fe School for the Arts and Sciences, Rio Grande School, Santa Fe Girls’ School and Santa Fe Waldorf School — will meet Monday to discuss the best course of action.

The meeting should reveal a clearer picture of each school’s plans for the fast-approaching

start of the new year.

“Our priority has always been, and continues to be, to have as many of our students on campus, safely, as possible,” said Rosie Williams, director of admissions and administration at the Santa Fe Girls’ School. “That being said, we are fully prepared to move to a hybrid model or fully online at the flip of a switch.”

Each school’s hybrid program continues to develop as the pandemic progresses, with rising numbers of cases each day, yet many share common features.

Many schools are using a staggered schedule, in which only half of the student population would attend in person on any given day to minimize risk of viral transmission. St. Michael’s is separating its students into two groups, Blue and White.

Other institutions, such as the Santa Fe School for the Arts and Sciences, are taking advantage of their large campuses to develop outdoor learning spaces.

All schools have taken steps to follow social-distancing rules — placing desks 6 feet apart — and other safety protocols, such as requiring face masks and altering cleaning routines.

The private schools have been collaborating since Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a public health order closing New Mexico schools in midMarch.

“It has been great having a cohort of local school leaders to collaborate and connect with,” Ahlum Scarola, head of the Rio Grande School, said in a statement.

“We are all striving to respond to the recent events in ways that support our school communities and prepare us to dynamically meet the challenges still ahead,” Scarola said.

Santa Fe Prep is scheduled to share its plan with students, parents and faculty this week, while other schools are in a holding pattern.

“We recognize that we have an opportunity as a really small, flexible and responsive school to just bide even more time,” Williams said.