Phased Approach to Reentry
New Mexico will take a phased approach to reentering schools.
Beginning August 3, all schools in the state will be able to start the
school year utilizing a hybrid model of instruction (see Categories of
COVID-19 Spread and Supporting Teaching and Learning Guidance).
Under a hybrid model, the number of students present in the building at any
given time will be limited in order to ensure that six feet of social distancing can
be maintained at all times. Students will alternate between in-person instruction
at the school building and online instruction when at home. More details on the
guidelines for this model of instruction are found throughout this document.
The state’s goal is to move all schools into a full school schedule as soon as
it can be safely accomplished. This phased approach to reentry is a prudent
and responsible process for the following reasons:
• The phased approach allows the state to analyze the impact of a controlled
reentry before moving into a full-scale implementation. This will help ensure
that the epidemiological assumptions about how schools impact virus
transmission can be thoroughly tested before full reentry.
• Schools will likely need to implement hybrid or remote models at some point
in the year. The phased approach allows for preparation and practice in the
implementation of this model at the beginning of the year so that schools
and communities are ready for this eventuality later in the year
• The phased approach balances the legitimate concerns of families who
expressed nervousness about returning full-scale right away with those who
are rightly eager to return to a full school schedule.
The state will assess the impact of school reentry on the rate of spread of the
virus statewide in each of the 5 regions. When overall state data indicate that it is
safe to move forward to a full school schedule, the regions will be able to do so.
Our preference is to move together as a state; if statewide data supports general
advancement to Full Reentry, but an individual region’s data suggests that its
opening would be unsafe, that region may be held back until numbers improve.
To read the complete guide: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20NMPED_ReentryGuide_Hybrid6-1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0JtcT1nlQzxqFRLgmqwLuYWFqU_Oca6340iKL_srIdcgXqPLs_41zTx2g
