Los Alamos Reporter

Public Education Department Announces 45 New Mexico Public Schools On COVID-19 Watchlist

PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT NEWS

Forty-five New Mexico public school buildings appeared on the COVID-19 Watchlist in the week ending Friday, Dec. 18, signifying they had at least two Rapid Responses within a 14-day period. 

Those schools are:

ALBUQUERQUE

  • Cibola High
  • Cleveland Middle
  • Helen Cordero Primary
  • James Monroe
  • La Cueva High
  • Reginald Chavez Elementary

ANTHONY

  • Gadsden High

ARTESIA

  • Artesia High
  • Grand Heights Early Childhood
  • Roselawn Elementary

BELEN

  • BCS-Student Nutrition
  • Gil Sanchez Elementary
  • Rio Grande Elementary

CARLSBAD

  • Carlsbad Intermediate

CLAYTON

  • Alvis Elementary
  • Clayton High

CLOVIS

  • Clovis High
  • Clovis High School Freshman Academy

ESPANOLA

  • Española Valley High

EUNICE

  • Mettie Jordan Elementary

FARMINGTON

  • McCormick Elementary
  • Piedra Vista High

FRUITLAND

  • Ojo Amarillo Elementary

GALLUP

  • Del Norte Elementary
  • Gallup Central Alternative
  • Hozho Academy
  • Indian Hills Elementary
  • Tobe Turpen Elementary

HATCH

  • Hatch Valley High

HOBBS

  • Sanger Elementary

KIRTLAND

  • Central High

LAS CRUCES

  • Las Cruces Public Schools administrative office

LAS VEGAS

  • Las Vegas City School

LOVINGTON

  • Ben Alexander Elementary

NEWCOMB

  • Newcomb High

OJO CALIENTE

  • Mesa Vista High

PORTALES

  • Portales High

ROSWELL

  • Missouri Ave Elementary
  • Roswell High

RUIDOSO

  • Ruidoso Middle

SANTA FE

  • New Mexico Connections Academy
  • Santa Fe High

SHIPROCK

  • Eva B. Stokely Elementary
  • 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.