APS should make in-person school a priority — for kids

It’s not going to happen. Parents and students who had harbored hope Albuquerque Public Schools would open doors to any significant level of in-person learning this month had their hopes dashed Wednesday when the APS board — at the urging of union bosses — tabled plans by interim Superintendent Scott Elder for a phased return beginning Feb. 22.

The board, after lengthy discussion, told Elder to come back with a much less ambitious plan targeting a few select groups — a disheartening decision for those who were clinging to the notion there would be more kids in classrooms, resumption of some sports, help for working parents and salvaging what’s left of the current school year. All seemed a reasonable goal under a state hybrid model allowing 50% of students back at a given time with safeguards including distancing and masks.

And while it was a predictable decision by this board, it is especially disappointing in light of new data on COVID spread in schools and changes in the political universe. Consider:

▪ Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made headlines around the nation Jan. 26 when she laid out a plan during her virtual State of the State address to get New Mexico kids back in the classroom. “We will get this right, and we will move forward, and every school district in the state will be able to welcome all ages of students safely back to the classroom on February 8,” the governor said, drawing attention from news outlets in places as varied as San Francisco and Houston. U.S. News & World Report, among others, took notice. “... Our state has developed a solid, epidemiologically sound plan for a safe expansion of in-person learning for all age groups.”

The governor’s comments perhaps were newsworthy from a national perspective given the ongoing debate over in-person learning during the pandemic and because Lujan Grisham has consistently imposed some of the tightest COVID-19 restrictions in the nation. Her announcement — while noting the final decision was up to local boards — was a major carve out to her aggressive policies under which indoor dining, for example, is still verboten until counties get to “yellow” or “green” status (Colfax, Grant, San Miguel, Sierra, Socorro and Union are “yellow”; Harding alone is “green”).

▪ President Joe Biden has reiterated that reopening schools within 100 days is a top priority of his new administration and is pushing for additional federal funding.

▪ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a published report in the American Medical Association that “there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission.” That was attributed to safety measures including masks. A statistic that New Mexicans might wish to take note of in the report: A survey cited by the CDC of 13,597 school districts found that 17% were fully open to in-person learning and 51% were using a hybrid model. Yes, schools ARE open in other places.

▪ On Wednesday the new head of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, told reporters during a White House briefing “there is increasing data to suggest that schools can safely reopen and that safe reopening does not suggest that teachers need to be vaccinated,” she said. “Vaccinations of teachers is not a prerequisite for safely reopening schools.”

At Wednesday’s meeting here, Albuquerque Teachers Federation President Ellen Bernstein advocated a return only after Bernalillo County was in “green” status for two weeks (a positivity rate of 5% or less and fewer than eight new cases a day per 100,000 residents.) Although cases here currently are on a downward trend, no one knows when that might happen. Bernstein also noted there is sentiment for waiting for widespread vaccine. Teachers are not a high priority group under state guidelines unless they meet age or underlying condition criteria.

But the union’s slogan “Green or vaccine — whichever comes first” was a recurring theme during a hybrid protest at APS’ main offices Wednesday.

The APS board, of course, is sensitive to the desires of the teachers and union, which has much political clout. But it was also elected to serve the needs of roughly 80,000 students whose futures hang in the balance. Students need to get back to in-person learning. The governor believes it can be done. So does the president. So does the CDC. It’s what the data show. It’s time APS makes it a priority to get kids back in class. One lost year is enough.