School children to stay at home through May

Clockwise from top left: Early Childhood Education and Care Department Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart, Children, Youth and Families Secretary Brian Blalock, and Department of Indian Affairs Secretary Lynn Trujillo take part in an online press conference Friday, March 27.

Posted Friday, March 27, 2020 3:03 pm

Las Cruces Public Schools release

Following the State of New Mexico Public Education Department’s announcement Friday that schools will remain closed for the remainder of the year, Las Cruces Public School administrators are working to finalize plans to have teachers and students finish the spring semester remotely starting April 6.

“We are navigating our LCPS family through an unprecedented time of innovation,” said Dr. Karen Trujillo, Superintendent for Las Cruces Public Schools. “But that opportunity doesn’t come without the disappointment of knowing teachers and students will not return to their physical classrooms this school year.”

Keeping students and staff safe during a statewide effort to “flatten the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the focus of district officials – on top of maintaining breakfast and lunch distribution to vulnerable Las Cruces communities where food insecurity is substantial. The numbers of meals distributed, according to Trujillo, have only gone up since the service began on March 16. To date, nearly 100,000 meals have been distributed.

The focus now is to address the needs of seniors who are scheduled to graduate with the Class of 2020, how to effectively shift classroom instruction to remote learning, and to adjust job descriptions now that schools will be closed until further notice.

“Our goal is to engage and reassure our employees that certain jobs – like deliveries to school campuses or daily custodial duties – might look different after the state’s decision to shutter our classrooms this semester,” said Trujillo. To accommodate that, district leaders are working with union representatives on updating agreements. Several other recommendations and credit adjustments will likely require approval by the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education. The board’s next regular meeting is April 7.

Instruction staff has been working with principals and teachers to determine what remote platforms are already in use, like Google Classroom, SeeSaw or ClassDojo, and how they can supplement those resources with hands-on materials, especially for students who do not have devices or internet access. The district is also working diligently to determine how best to support students who need extra resources and accommodations to access learning. Special education teachers, bilingual teachers and educational assistants will be instrumental in providing support for these students.

“We are committed to providing whatever we can to our students and teachers right now,” said Trujillo. “Their needs are paramount to finishing the school year as best we can under conditions that are largely out of our control.”

By Elva K. Ӧsterreich

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced that New Mexico public education will shift to a learn-at-home model as schools remain closed for the rest of the academic year.

On March 27 during an on-line press conference. Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart said returning to normal operations April 6 was the original goal, but “it’s pretty clear that it is not yet safe to be able to bring our students back into school.”

“We’ve got extraordinary educators all over the state who are taking heroic actions to make sure they continue to stay engaged with their students, provide services to our students,” Stewart said. “We feed hundreds of thousands of kids every day. We have educators who have been creative in every possible way.”

Stewart said no qualifying high school senior will be denied the ability to graduate, and he said alternative learning opportunities will be available through mid-June. Individual schools and systems will create plans with seniors in mind.

Milestone moments for seniors still need to happen, he said, citing proms and graduation ceremonies.

“These events have to happen,” he said. “If that means we have to postpone them to a later date, we will look at the prevailing public health order at the time and make a decision as to when they can be held.”

Stewart said the PED is waiving instructional hours-requirements, but all schools are required to submit individual continuous learning plans. The plans include “making sure there is equitable access to learning programs for students who don’t have access to technology, for special needs students and for students who require additional supports to be able to thrive.”

The PED is asking districts and schools to move to a pass/no-credit system as opposed to traditional grading systems, Stewart said.

“This is not an attempt to replicate the schooling experience as it is experienced in the traditional school setting,” he said. “This is a time to really focus on providing instruction in the critical standards that our students need to meet [while] keeping our kids academically engaged, socially and emotionally connected.”

School employees will still be paid, Stewart said, noting all staff should be employed productively. There are detailed guidelines being sent out to school systems.

“People are not getting paid to not work,” he said. “[Everyone is] coming to the table with a mindset for collaboration.”

Visit www.newmexico.gov/education/school-closure-faq/ for more information.

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