SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Public Education Department reports that 10 public school buildings appeared on the COVID-19 Watchlist in the week ending on Friday, January 15. This indicates that they had at least two rapid responses within a 14-day period.
During this same period, no schools were placed on the closure list. NMED includes schools and businesses with two or more rapid responses within 14-days.
Schools and businesses with four or more rapid responses in 14-days are then placed on the closure list, are required to close, and according to NMPED, where appropriate will return instruction to remote-only learning. A rapid response is defined as a series of interventions that are put in place to prevent COVID-19 spread, starting when the New Mexico Department of Health notifies a school that an employee or a student has a confirmed positive case and was on the campus or in the facility during the infectious period.
The NMPED states that if a public school is required to close due to four or more rapid responses in a 14-day period the school must remain in remote only learning mode until its county is in the green zone. The green, yellow, and red zones are identified by the Department of Health and signify the county’s control of the virus.
According to PED, only the individual school that reached the four-in-14 threshold would be required to return to remote learning. This would mean that a school district could have one school closed for in-person learning, another school on the Watchlist, and other schools that are not impacted.
The following are schools on the Watchlist:
Albuquerque
- James Monroe Middle
Aztec
- Aztec Maintenance
Bayard
- Cobre High
Fruitland
- Ojo Amarillo Elementary
Hobbs
- College Lane Elementary
Las Cruces
- Las Cruces Public Schools physical plant
Los Alamos
- Los Alamos High
Montezuma
- United World College-USA
Roswell
- Goddard High School
- Roswell High School
