LAS CRUCES PUBLIC SCHOOLS
School district issues updates on virtual learning, masks and more as school year starts
Superintendent Ralph Ramos
Members of the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education at an Aug. 3 work session in the Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Administrative Complex are, left to right, Maria Flores, Teresa Tenorio, Ray Jaramillo, Carol Cooper and Pamela Cort. LCPS Superintendent Ralph Ramos is at far right.
Posted Tuesday, August 10, 2021 10:33 am
LCPS frequently asked questions and answers
Q: Will my child be required to wear a mask at school?
A: Yes. All individuals regardless of vaccination status are required to wear a mask while in a school building, on school transportation, or at an indoor school-sponsored event. Masks are not required outdoors for any individual.
Q: Will my vaccinated high school student be required to wear a mask on the bus or in the cafeteria that is shared with elementary students?
Q: What accommodations will be allowed for children with asthma or other medical conditions that make mask-wearing more difficult?
A: There are very limited circumstances under which a face mask cannot be worn. According to CDC guidance, the following individuals should not wear a face covering: children under the age of 2, or anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance. When wearing a face mask would obstruct breathing or exacerbate another medical condition for an unvaccinated student, then the student should be seen by a health-care provider to discuss whether it is safe for the student to be in school during the public health emergency.
Q: Will social distancing be required at school?
A: Yes. Students and staff will observe a social distance of three feet, or to the greatest extent possible, except when eating, exercising, taking mask breaks, playing wind instruments, and singing or shouting, in which case six feet of social distance and masks are required.
Q: Will students need to cohort?
A: Cohorting is not required, although the practice of keeping groups of students and staff together over the course of the school day with the goal of limiting exposures to only those within the same cohort may help reduce the spread of Covid-19. Cohorting also can allow for targeted quarantine, testing, and/or isolation of a single cohort instead of schoolwide measures in the event of a positive case or cluster.
Q: What safety measures will be in place besides masks?
A: The goal as everyone returns to classes this summer and fall is to keep students and staff as safe as possible so that schools can operate in the mode we know works best: in-person learning. All school buildings will continue to perform deep cleaning protocols, and frequently touched surfaces will be disinfected several times a day. Hand sanitizer will be widely available, along with masks for students and staff who need them. Other safety measures include ensuring students and staff maintain physical distance and encouraging those who can be vaccinated do so. In addition, Covid-19 surveillance testing of staff is required for all schools providing in-person student services, including small-group special education services and athletics. The purpose of surveillance testing is to detect Covid-19 outbreaks as early as possible by screening asymptomatic individuals. Surveillance testing of students is voluntary and is available free of charge. Contact your school nurse for additional information.
Q: Will water fountains be open?
A: Most schools have been equipped with water-bottle filling stations. Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle, or arrangements can be made to provide one.
Q: Will schools still be required to notify families of positive cases?
A: Yes – for anyone who was infectious with Covid-19 while on campus. The Health Services staff has a responsibility to notify families whose student(s) came in close contact with an infected person, and LCPS will update the public on positive cases reported in the district on the LCPS Covid-19 dashboard located here.
Q: Will parents or visitors be allowed in schools? Will they be required to wear masks?
A: Visitors to schools are required to wear masks. Each school may limit the number of non-essential persons or agencies inside LCPS buildings.
Q: Will a student who is out sick be required to have a negative Covid test to return to school?
A: Anyone who is exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19 should self-isolate for 10 days (and be symptom/fever free without medication for 24 hours) or should be tested for Covid-19 and should have improved symptoms and be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication before returning to school.
Q: Will my child age 12 or over be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine?
A: No. Vaccines are not mandated at this time. However, because vaccines are the best possible way to prevent Covid-19 infections and spread, we encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated. LCPS is working to provide vaccination clinics open to students, staff and their families free of charge. Visit www.lcps.net for more information on upcoming clinics.
Q: Will my vaccinated child be required to self-isolate if determined to be a close contact to an infectious individual at school?
A: No. Vaccinated individuals ages 12 and up will not have to self-isolate should this occur.
Q: If the virus makes a surge this fall, will I have the option to put my child into remote learning after the school year starts?
A: We ask families – whether attending in-person or virtually – to make a commitment for the entire semester. However, parents always have the option to move their children into remote learning at any point of the school year by using the handful of virtual charter schools available in the state. Please check your local district for options they will have available, either through established virtual programs or partnerships with other districts via the New Mexico Virtual Course Consortium
Q: As an educator, am I required to get a vaccine?
A: There is no employment requirement at this time to get a vaccine. However, the state strongly recommends the vaccines, which are safe, effective and the best-known way to prevent infection and spread of Covid-19.
Q: Will teachers have to use their sick leave if they must quarantine?
A: Districts and state-chartered schools must provide emergency paid sick leave to employees through June 30, 2022.
Q: May I request an alternative work assignment rather than returning to the classroom?
A: Reasonable accommodations, such as alternate work assignments, may be available to an employee, including high risk staff, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Additionally, you could be eligible for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act due to your serious medical condition.
Q: What if I can't return to the classroom because someone in my family has a serious medical condition?
A: Leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may be available to an employee who is unable to perform his or her duties due to the employee's or eligible family member's serious medical condition. ADA and FMLA requests may include consideration of the mitigating effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, which have been, and are being, made available to all school staff. Please consult with your Human Resources staff and legal counsel for advice about the process of or making determinations about reasonable accommodations under the ADA and/or leave under the FMLA.
Q: Will students still be quarantined if there is a positive case? And how long will the quarantine be?
A: Unvaccinated close contacts are required to quarantine for 10 days following their last exposure. Close contacts are defined as students who were within three feet of a confirmed case for 15 minutes over a 24-hour period.
Q: Will students be sent home if they exhibit symptoms?
A: Yes. Students exhibiting symptoms will need to wait in the isolation room until they can be picked up. Students with chronic conditions can provide a note from their primary care provider indicating their base-line symptoms and may attend school with baseline symptoms.
Las Cruces Public Schools' 2021-22 school year began Monday, Aug. 9, for K-12 students. Kindergarten transition days began Aug. 10.
For the first time in more than a year, school district buildings are open on the first day of the school year for in-person learning, despite a growing number of families who opted to enroll students in the district's Virtual Learning Academy (VLA).
The number of VLA students had grown to 850, or roughly four percent of LCPS' total student population.
The deadline to apply to VLA was Aug. 6.
Parents who contacted the district about VLA should expect to hear from their school next week, LCPS Deputy Superintendent of Teaching, Learning, Leadership and Research Wendi Miller-Tomlinson said in an Aug. 6 news release from LCPS.
"We are working to contact every parent, and that process takes time," Miller-Tomlinson said.
Miller-Tomlinson said instruction will be adjusted to ensure there is no penalty for students who are enrolled after the start of school.
VLA is completely virtual learning; it is not distance or hybrid learning, VLA Principal Stephanie Hanway said.
"Students will not be in class on Zoom every day," she explained. "Teachers will outline the expectations for the week, and it will be the responsibility of the student to complete the work and reach out for assistance."
As a program, VLA has been an extension of LCPS for about 10 years. Originally offered as a way to recover credits or to accelerate, the need for VLA as an option for families became apparent when schools went fully remote in 2020.
Masks and wellness checks
Superintendent Ralph Ramos announced Aug. 3 that masks will be required inside all LCPS buildings.
"Starting Aug. 4, 2021, all LCPS students and staff will be required to wear masks indoors during the school day and during afterschool indoor events," said Ramos. "We will continue to monitor the state's public health orders and will comply with any mask requirements and social distancing guidelines as they relate to outdoor events on school grounds."
"We are following the most current guidance from our local and national health experts," said Ramos, who added that maintaining a safe environment for students and staff remains a priority in planning for the upcoming school year.
Parents are encouraged to conduct wellness checks on their children before sending them to school. Students who have a fever or Covid-like symptoms should stay home. According to guidance from the New Mexico Public Education Department, anyone exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19 should self-isolate for 10 days.
Athletics and performing arts
Sports and extracurricular activities will resume when school starts. Masks will be required indoors and current guidance from the New Mexico Public Education Department allows for travel and overnight stays. Quarantine for out-of-state travel is recommended but not required.
All performing arts students, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks and maintain a six-foot social distance, or to the greatest extent possible. Specialized masks and bell covers are required for students playing wind instruments, and instruments are not to be shared. Supplies for cleaning instruments will be made available.
School gatherings and performances will be allowed, pending public health orders.
Organ Mountain High School
Aug. 9 was the first day of school for the first graduating class of Organ Mountain High School. Plans to change signs from the former Oñate High School were underway over the summer and new signs are expected to go up in the coming weeks.
Schedules and school supply lists
Visit www.lcps.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/LCPS-2021-22-Calendar.pdf for the LCPS calendar of events for the 2021-22 school year.
Visit www.lcps.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2022SchoolSchedule.pdf for a schedule of class times for all grade levels.
Visit www.lcps.net/2021/08/03/school-supply/ for a school supply list in English and Spanish.
Bilingual resources are available for LCPS families through the Bilingual Community Outreach Hotline, 575-468-8279. The hotline is on call Monday through Friday.