PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT NEWS

More than a quarter of New Mexico’s school districts were in full reentry the week beginning March 28, although the number of students and staff in the classroom declined dramatically due to spring break. 

Of New Mexico’s 187 districts and charter schools, 52 (about 28 percent) are now welcoming students into classrooms every school day. As more districts and schools move to full reentry, the number in the hybrid learning mode is dropping, with 40 districts (21%) in hybrid this week, down from 113 (60%) a week ago. 

Nineteen New Mexico school districts and charter schools serving about 66,000 students expanded in-person learning the week beginning March 28, with all 19 moving to full-reentry. They are: 

● Alamogordo 

● Artesia 

● Aztec 

● Carlsbad 

● Carrizozo 

● Clovis 

● Farmington 

● Hagerman 

● Hobbs 

● Lovington 

● Questa

● Roswell 

● Santa Rosa 

● Tatum 

● Truth or Consequences 

● Altura Preparatory School (Albuquerque) 

● La Academia Dolores Huerta (Las Cruces) 

● Montessori Elementary & Middle School (Albuquerque) 

● South Valley Preparatory School (Albuquerque) 

No districts or charter schools moved from remote to hybrid this week. 

Altogether, 68% fewer students are in classrooms this week than last because many districts are on spring break. Here is a breakdown based on data reported to the Public Education Department: 

● 29,708 out of 317,000 children in classrooms (9%), down from 92,989 (29%) a week earlier; 

● 13,929 out of 51,000 school staff in buildings (27%), down from 30,360 (60%) a week earlier. 

The Public Education Department announced March 8 that all schools are expected to move to full reentry no later than April 5 because it is now safe to do so with protocols in place to limit viral spread. 

VACCINATIONS 

All of New Mexico’s nearly 51,000 K-12 educators and school staff have been offered the vaccine as of today. 

Until recently, the Department of Health vaccine registry did not distinguish between pre-K, K-12 and higher education so a precise count of K-12 educators who have been vaccinated is not available. However, about 53,000 (almost 84%) of the 63,000 pre-K through college educators in the registry have received at least one shot, and just over 30,000 (48%) are fully vaccinated. 

RAPID RESPONSES 

To date, no New Mexico public school has been ordered to close for 14 days and return, where appropriate, to remote learning due to COVID-19 spread signified by four or more Rapid Responses in a 14-day period. 

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. 

Only the individual school that reaches the four-in-14 threshold is required to return to remote learning. Other schools in the same district are not impacted.

In the week ending March 26, 16 school facilities appeared on the Environment Department’s Watchlist, signifying they had at least two Rapid Responses within a 14-day period. Those school buildings are: 

ALBUQUERQUE: 

● Albuquerque Academy 

● APS Student Transportation 

● Immanuel Lutheran School 

● Mission Achievement and Success 2.0 

● Valley High 

● Volcano Vista 

ARTESIA 

● Artesia High 

BELEN 

● Central Elementary 

CLOUDCROFT 

● Cloudcroft Elementary 

LAS CRUCES 

● Las Cruces High 

RIO RANCHO 

● Cibola High 

● Cleveland High 

SANTA FE 

● Atalaya Elementary 

● Santa Fe High 

SILVER CITY 

● Silver High 

SUNLAND PARK 

● Riverside Elementary 

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