There’s a right time, right way to open schools
Districts know best when they are safe, ready for in-person learning
Beginning today, school districts across New Mexico will assume greater responsibility for deciding when it’s safe to put students, teachers and staff back together in classrooms and schools. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s announcement in her State of the State address gives school districts a green light to expand in-person options, as long as districts have met certain safety conditions. Those of us in the business community are familiar with meeting safety conditions in our operations and in our county to expand in-person services.
Many districts may decide not to expand in-person learning right away, and that’s probably the way it should be. These are important decisions and should be made only after a district has thoroughly reviewed its individual situation. But those who are ready — who have, among other steps, upgraded air filters and improved indoor air quality, moved desks 6 feet apart, marked hallways with “stand here” stickers and stockpiled cleaning supplies and masks — can move a step closer to the normal we all miss, a normal that is good for students, good for working parents and good for New Mexico.
The state’s plan provides school districts with a range of options, including in-person for very small schools, hybrid and remote learning formats provided they meet the statewide criteria.
Schools form the base of the pyramid that our economy is built on. They both educate the workforce of the future and make it possible for parents — the workforce of the present — to return to work and/or pursue higher education or vocational training they need to get ahead. Many of New Mexico’s workers, as essential workers, have kept going to work during the pandemic while struggling to find adequate care for children who are attending school remotely. Expanded in-person learning will provide the sorely needed support to these working families and a critical first step in restoration and recovery of our economy.
When the virus first arrived last March and little was known about it, the governor quickly moved to protect public safety, including the closure of public schools. In the fall, following an evidence-based review and analysis of conditions, some districts were allowed to bring students back a couple days a week, alternating between groups. The permission was linked to the virus data in the county where a school was located, and to rigorous requirements that the science at the time recommended, including mask-wearing, social distancing and improvements to indoor air quality.
In her address, the governor once again exhibited her sincere desire to continue balancing the safety of New Mexicans with the challenging needs of our economy. Interestingly, the timing of the governor’s announcement coincided with new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention citing evidence that in-person instruction can be safe with mask-wearing and social distancing, just as New Mexico requires. That said, the very same CDC guidance linked the safety of in-person learning to continued adherence to COVID Safe Practices, along with the NM COVID-Safe Practices. By continuing to follow these safe practices, our children will be given the very best chance to stay in the classroom with their teachers and friends and give our businesses the best chance to expand their offerings.
Our top priority has been and will remain the safety and well-being of all New Mexicans. Until we have beaten this pandemic, we need to proceed with caution and support the fact-based decisions that have worked for New Mexico. The decision and plan to expand in-person learning, at the discretion of individual school districts, is the right one and at the right time.