‘We need to bring kids back’
Santa Fe Public Schools ready for part-time return to classrooms Monday
Superintendent Veronica García has called Santa Fe Public Schools’ modified hybrid learning model a “beta test” to see if the district can bring students, teachers and staff back into classrooms safely.
García and the community will get a first look at the model Monday, as 18 of the district’s 21 schools serving elementary students open their doors for the first time since midMarch, when campuses closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The district is moving forward with its plans to launch next week despite surging numbers of novel coronavirus cases and a declining
number of educators willing to teach in person.
So far, 155 teachers and support staff are signed up to provide instruction in person — 10 fewer than the district reported last week.
The big difference between the Santa Fe district’s version of hybrid learning — which combines classroom instruction with remote learning from home — and the state Public Education Department’s recommended model, is that teachers here are not required to participate. The district is only opening classroom doors for teachers and support staff who volunteered to return to campus.
The result: a mishmash. There will be a different number of hybrid classes at each school serving students in a variety of grade levels. Tesuque, Salazar and Kearny elementary schools will have no hybrid classrooms because no teachers there volunteered to work on campus.
Amy Biehl Community School will open its doors to one kindergarten class, and Carlos Gilbert Elementary School will have one fourth grade class. Meanwhile, El Camino Real Academy will have seven classes: prekindergarten, kindergarten, first grade, fourth grade, fifth grade and two special-education classes.
García said she hopes a greater numbers of teachers and staff agree to return to classrooms by January after they see the district is able to keep kids and workers safe.
It’s important, she added, to get the youngest students, especially those in kindergarten and first grade, back to school to help them develop social skills as well as academics.
“I feel that we need to bring kids back,” García said. “The pandemic is not going to go away. It’s probably going to take a while. Even with vaccines, it may take another couple of years.
“We can’t have schools closed for the next couple of years,” García added. “Can you imagine the impact on kindergartners or first graders?”
Another priority, García said, is to bring back students who have inadequate access to the internet at home and can’t regularly attend online lessons.
Kearny Principal Robin Noble said she was looking forward to seeing teachers and students in a handful of classrooms Monday, but four of her teachers who had volunteered to return later changed their minds as coronavirus cases spiked.
She respects their decision, she said, but she couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“There was this little anticipation of seeing the kids and having the school come to life, even on a small scale,” Noble said. “And I’m a new principal, so I haven’t had the chance to see kids in person or meet families. There was an excitement.”
Now, she said, she plans to put all of her energy into ensuring students get the best possible level of learning through the online format. After they get through the holidays, she said, they will “see what January holds for us.”
The state’s seven-day average number of daily cases rose to an alarming 599 this week from 83 on Sept. 7. Santa Fe County set a single-day record Wednesday with 64 new cases and saw an additional 56 cases reported Friday.
Last week, as the state’s daily coronavirus numbers repeatedly skyrocketed to record numbers, Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart announced the agency is developing less stringent coronavirus “gating criteria,” making it easier for elementary schools to reopen — or stay open — on a hybrid learning model. The new numbers have not yet been released.
Such numbers include transmission rates for the virus, testing positivity rates and the average daily count in the county where a school district is located.
Stewart also announced that districts like Santa Fe, with plans to reopen, could follow through even if their county is seeing rising numbers that exceed the thresholds.
Currently, counties that have an average daily case count of 8 per 100,000 people and a test positivity rate below 5 percent are considered in the “green” zone and can open elementary classrooms. Santa Fe County’s numbers are mixed: Daily cases are at 9.6 per 100,000, and the positivity rate is 3.6 percent.
Despite the risks, García is eager to get students back in classrooms, where they can engage in person with their teachers — particularly those kids who might be falling through the cracks because they aren’t equipped at home for successful remote learning.
“The quality of instruction, what we’re offering is sound,” García said. “But if children don’t have a quiet place to hook up their computer or live in a small apartment with lots of people, it might be the most positive learning environment.”
Noble said Kearny is a prime example of a school with many students who struggle with the remote system. She noted it is a federal Title I school, which means it has a high rate of low-income students, and some are not logging in to their classes.
Her staff is working hard to communicate with those students and their families, she said, but in-person instruction could more effectively alleviate the issue.
“Those families are the ones that are struggling the most right now,” Noble said. “We’re not living in a perfect world of education, so we just have to keep stepping up and doing it better.”
“We’re not living in a perfect world of education, so we just have to keep stepping up and doing it better.” Kearny Elementary Principal Robin Noble