PORTALES JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL TO CONDUCT CLASSES VIRTUALLY FOR REMAINDER OF THE WEEK
Portales Municipal Schools Superintendent Johnnie Cain, has sent the following letter to parents and guardians of Portales Junior High students regarding the decision to hold classes virtually for the rest of this week. As of Tuesday December 6th, when the announcement was made, about half the teachers at the school are ill and the district is having a difficult time covering the classes. The letter reads as follows:
As you are probably well aware, over the past couple of weeks Portales has seen a high number of respiratory illnesses, flu, strep, and even COVID throughout the city and county. We have seen a fairly high number of absences due to these ailments. These illnesses are not limited to just our students as some staff have become sick as well. At Portales Junior High School, we have decided to transfer to distance education for the remainder of this week due to the fact that we do not have enough staff to ensure all classes are covered properly. Other schools will remain open unless staffing becomes an issue. Scheduled evening performances and events will not be cancelled at this time.
Our custodial staff will be sanitizing all schools today (12/6/22) after-school and again on Friday afternoon. Custodial staff continue to clean high-traffic areas throughout the schools every day as has been done since the beginning of COVID and every Friday is a normal deep-cleaning day after school.
Knowing that there is a chance of contracting one of the many viruses that are going around, we ask that you help us to alleviate some of the risk. If your child is sick, running a fever, or coughing, please do not send him or her to school. If you feel that you do not want your child at school at this time, you can make the decision to keep him or her at home. Please call the school to excuse the absence and make arrangements for assignments to be sent home or provided through Google Classroom.
There is no way to predict when this bout of viruses may no longer be a threat, but we will re-evaluate daily to determine whether further action needs to be taken.
If you have further questions, contact the Junior High office at 575-356-7045.