Los Alamos Reporter

Public Education Department Says 19 Public School Buildings Placed On COVID-19 Watchlist Last Week

PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT NEWS

The Public Education Department announced today that 19 New Mexico Public Schools buildings were placed on the COVID-19 Watchlist during the week ending Nov. 20. Those schools are:

ALBUQUERQUE

  • Bel-Air Elementary
  • La Cueva High
  • Sunset Mesa School

ANTHONY

  • Gadsden Independent Schools Physical Plant

BELEN

  • Belen Middle

CLOVIS

  • La Casita Elementary in Clovis

DEMING

  • Deming Intermediate

ESPAÑOLA

  • Española Valley High
  • Eutimio Salazar Elementary
  • Española Public School District administrative office

HOBBS

  • Hobbs High
  • Hobbs Schools administrative offices

KIRTLAND

  • Kirtland Middle

LAS CRUCES

  • Las Cruces Public Schools administrative office

LOVINGTON

  • Taylor Middle

PORTALES

  • Brown Early Childhood Center

ROSWELL

  • Berrendo Middle
  • Sierra Middle

SANTA FE

  • Pojoaque Intermediate

During that same period, no schools were placed on the Closure List. 

The Watchlist, maintained by the New Mexico Environment Department, includes schools and businesses with two or more Rapid Responses within 14 days. Those with four or more Rapid Responses in 14 days are placed on the Closure List and required to close and, where appropriate, return instruction to remote-only learning.  

A Rapid Response is a series of interventions designed to prevent COVID-19 spread, beginning when the New Mexico Department of Health notifies a school that an employee or student has a confirmed positive case and was on campus/in the facility during the infectious period.  Read the complete COVID-19 Rapid Response Watchlist here. 

If a public school is required to close because it has four or more Rapid Responses in a 14-day period, it must remain in remote-only learning mode until its county is in the green zone — a Department of Health distinction signifying acceptable control of the virus. See the map here.

Only the individual school that reached the four-in-14 threshold would be required to return to remote learning. That means a school district could have one school closed for in-person learning,  another on the Watchlist, and others with no impact.