Rushed reopening is bad news for schools in N.M.
Throughout the pandemic, I have been one of the fiercest proponents of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s leadership. Unparalleled challenges faced our state, both from the pandemic itself and the idiotic decisions of our neighbor states. During the first nine months of this global health crisis, Lujan Grisham stood firm in science-based appropriate responses to the severity of the situation before us.
Yet, with her Public Education Department’s recent decision to mandate all schools reopen by April 5 regardless of vaccine status, availability of personal protective equipment or ability to ensure students and staff at schools are safe, I turn from proponent to fiercest critic.
It is important to look at what has changed to come to the conclusion that this decision was not based on science or what’s best for teachers, students and New Mexico residents.
Did the threat COVID-19 poses change? No, COVID-19 is an even greater threat than it was before. New and more virulent strains of the virus have mutated and are making their way into America at an alarming rate, and epidemiologists are increasingly concerned that if vaccination rates don’t improve, these new strains might overwhelm our society and render current vaccines useless.
On top of that, neighboring states are choosing to fully reopen without any social distancing or mask-wearing required. A bar in Texas was even planning to have a “masks off ” party before it was thankfully canceled by local officials.
So if the threat level is high, have the Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on fully reopening schools changed? Also no. It is true the CDC has said vaccinations are not required for schools to begin reopening, but there’s a big “if ” there, which most people conveniently ignore. Schools will be safe to open if 6 feet of social distancing is maintained and increased funds are provided to schools in order to combat the spread of the virus.
If Lujan Grisham has spent more than five minutes in a New Mexico classroom, she’d know maintaining 6 feet of distance is impossible if schools are forced to open at 100 percent capacity.
The same CDC report that says schools can safely reopen if proper precautions are taken also outlines how mealtimes are the biggest threat to safety and recommends students eat in classrooms. PED’s decision essentially says “just open the windows and lunchtime will be OK.” This ignores the fact that in many schools, windows don’t even open for safety reasons. It also ignores the fact there is no scientific evidence to support such a ridiculous position.
Also, even with President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan now law, it will take months for those funds to be distributed to schools, and months beyond that before schools will actually get the materials and sanitation equipment they purchase.
So if the science hasn’t changed, what has? Simply put, our governor got caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar, and is now sacrificing teachers’ well being in order to make herself look better with the public.
Earlier this year, Lujan Grisham was forced to admit that she used $13,500 in public funds over a six-month period to purchase tequila, vodka, Merlot, whiskey, gin, Wagyu beef, tuna steaks and other decadent consumables. Naturally and appropriately, the public responded with fury and indignation at this scandal.
It seems to me that opening up schools has been used as either a tool to placate the masses or to distract them from the governor’s leadership failures. It is true that what’s best for students is safe in-person education. But it’s simply not possible at this time.
Either Lujan Grisham knows this and is willing to throw reason out the window in order to curry political favor, or she doesn’t and her competence in governing should be called into question. No matter which is true, it’s bad news for all of New Mexico in terms of health, education and leadership.
Timothy Maylander is a middle and high school educator in New Mexico who teaches English and journalism.