SCHOOL DELAY AFTER WINTER BREAK
The New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) has announced a delay in the return to in-person learning after the winter break to help mitigate a post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases in New Mexico. This proactive measure is an effort to keep case rates low, in the hope that we can expand eligibility for in-person learning to include additional student groups (e.g. secondary students) in the New Year.
No in-person learning will be permitted during the weeks of January 4 and January 11, 2021. Schools previously operating in the hybrid model may return to their hybrid schedules the week of January 18, 2021. In addition, those operating small-group instruction in the remote stance may also begin welcoming their 5:1 groups of K-2 and Special Education students back to school beginning January 18, 2021.
Beginning the week of January 4, school districts planning to return in the hybrid mode or bring back small groups after January 18th must conduct surveillance testing on 10% of staff who will be working on school sites after January 18.
Only those schools previously operating under hybrid and who that have not been on the NMED’s Closure List may return to operating in hybrid after the extended winter closure (and assuming they have met the 10% surveillance testing threshold for at least two weeks).
For more information visit nmhealth.org or visit clovis-schools.org.
