Los Alamos Reporter

Public Education Department Announces 42 New Mexico Schools On COVID-19 Watchlist As Of Friday

PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT NEWS

Forty-two New Mexico public school buildings appeared on the COVID-19 Watchlist in the week ending Friday, Dec. 11, signifying they had at least two Rapid Responses within a 14-day period. 

Those schools are:

ALBUQUERQUE

  • Cibola High
  • Cleveland Middle
  • James Monroe Middle
  • Helen Cordero Primary
  • La Cueva High
  • Media Arts Collaborative Charter
  • Washington Middle
  • Zia Elementary

ANTHONY

  • Gadsden High

ARTESIA

  • Artesia Park Junior High

BELEN

  • Rio Grande Elementary

CARLSBAD

  • Carlsbad Intermediate
  • Monterrey Elementary

CLAYTON

  • Alvis Elementary

CLOVIS

  • Clovis High School Freshman Academy
  • Zia Elementary

DEMING

  • Red Mountain Middle

EUNICE

  • Mettie Jordan Elementary

FARMINGTON

  • Country Club Elementary
  • McCormick Elementary

GALLUP

  • Del Norte Elementary
  • Hozho Academy

HOBBS

  • Sanger Elementary

JEMEZ PUEBLO

  • Jemez Valley High

KIRTLAND

  • Kirtland Central High School

LAS CRUCES

  • Las Cruces Public Schools administrative office

LOVINGTON

  • Ben Alexander Elementary

MOUNTAINAIR

  • Mountainair High

NEWCOMB

  • Newcomb High

OHKAY OWINGEH

  • La Tierra Montessori School

PORTALES

  • Portales High

ROSWELL

  • Mesa Middle
  • Missouri Ave Elementary
  • Parkview Early Literacy Center
  • Roswell High
  • Washington Avenue Elementary

SANTA FE

  • New Mexico Connections Academy
  • Santa Fe High
  • Santa Fe Public Schools Transportation Department

SHIPROCK

  • Central Consolidated School
  • Nizhoni Elementary
  • Shiprock High

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.