CrimsonPhantom
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NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
Quote:SANTA FE — School is out for summer, but distance learning efforts could be just beginning.
Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart announced Friday that a statewide school closure will be extended for the rest of the current academic year, due to rising coronavirus infection rates.
“It’s quite clear that it’s not yet safe to bring our students back into school,” Stewart said during a virtual news conference.
Public preschools and K-12 schools across the state were ordered to shut down effective March 16 to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Students were initially scheduled to go back to school April 6, though the Governor’s Office warned — both early on and recently — that the closure could be for longer.
As of Friday morning, the state Department of Health reported 136 positive cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico. There are 13 individuals hospitalized statewide and one person has died from the disease.
The decision to extend the school closures through May was a difficult one, Stewart said, and he acknowledged that distance learning efforts being launched statewide will not replicate the traditional learning experience.
Teachers, school administrators and other school employees will still be paid during the extended school year, but teachers will be directed to begin distance learning programs with their students starting next week, or even earlier in some cases.
“It is not time off for everybody,” Stewart said. “People are not being paid to not work.”
However, students will not be graded on the traditional A-F letter grade system. Instead, the state’s 89 school districts and charter schools will be asked to craft a pass/fail system for their student body.
“This is not a replication of the traditional learning experience,” Stewart said. “It’s a focus on a few specific standards.”
In addition, local school districts will determine testing requirements — or “demonstrations of competency” — for high-school seniors, Stewart said.
The deadline for those exams will be extended through mid-June, he added.
Meanwhile, Stewart said school events like high-school proms will not happen and will likely have to be rescheduled for sometime this fall.
In addition to school closures, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered New Mexicans to stay home and only go out if absolutely needed, non-essential businesses have been ordered to close and gatherings have been limited to no more than five people.
Link
In NM, School officially ends the week before Memorial day for most school districts. They needed to wait another couple of weeks before making this decision. Could've extended school closing if need be.
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03-27-2020 02:36 PM |
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Native Georgian
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
Wise decision, IMHO.
Sure, they could probably re-open for 2-3 weeks in May/early-June, but that time would be wasted, academically-speaking. Nothing would really get done.
Make the announcement now that school is done for the spring, and then be ready to roll out the new year on Monday/03rd or possibly Monday/10th August.
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03-27-2020 03:11 PM |
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vandiver49
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
(03-27-2020 03:11 PM)Native Georgian Wrote: Wise decision, IMHO.
Sure, they could probably re-open for 2-3 weeks in May/early-June, but that time would be wasted, academically-speaking. Nothing would really get done.
Make the announcement now that school is done for the spring, and then be ready to roll out the new year on Monday/03rd or possibly Monday/10th August.
Were they not doing online classes?
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03-27-2020 03:14 PM |
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CrimsonPhantom
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
(03-27-2020 03:14 PM)vandiver49 Wrote: (03-27-2020 03:11 PM)Native Georgian Wrote: Wise decision, IMHO.
Sure, they could probably re-open for 2-3 weeks in May/early-June, but that time would be wasted, academically-speaking. Nothing would really get done.
Make the announcement now that school is done for the spring, and then be ready to roll out the new year on Monday/03rd or possibly Monday/10th August.
Were they not doing online classes?
Only a handful of school districts in NM are technology-based enough to have online classes. Not enough take-home tablets/computers. Especially those in Albuquerque Public Schools, NM's largest school district. It's like one tablet/computer for every 4 students or 3 students. They hand out work packets when parents/guardians bring their kids to get breakfast/lunch at their schools during the week.
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03-27-2020 04:00 PM |
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GrayBeard
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
IIRC they rank around 50th for public schools. They will probably receive a better education not getting an education.
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03-27-2020 04:13 PM |
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fsquid
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
It's New Mexico, they haven't had an education in 50 years.
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03-27-2020 04:39 PM |
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shere khan
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
(03-27-2020 04:39 PM)fsquid Wrote: It's New Mexico, they haven't had an education in 50 years.
^ trueth
Watch national scores jump without kids being in school.
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03-27-2020 04:44 PM |
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vandiver49
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
I'm stunned by the number of folks dumping on NM schools. I usually only see this kinda shade for schools in the south.
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03-27-2020 04:47 PM |
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fsquid
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
(03-27-2020 04:47 PM)vandiver49 Wrote: I'm stunned by the number of folks dumping on NM schools. I usually only see this kinda shade for schools in the south.
well it is in the south.
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03-27-2020 04:56 PM |
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CrimsonPhantom
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
(03-27-2020 04:47 PM)vandiver49 Wrote: I'm stunned by the number of folks dumping on NM schools. I usually only see this kinda shade for schools in the south.
I'm not.
Missouri used to be New Mexico's buffer.
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03-27-2020 05:05 PM |
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TripleA
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
I don't have an issue with closing the schools until summer.
However, didn't she also close down everything else in the state? When NM has something like 136 cases total, and one death?
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03-27-2020 06:02 PM |
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CrimsonPhantom
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RE: NM public schools to stay closed for rest of year
(03-27-2020 06:02 PM)TripleA Wrote: I don't have an issue with closing the schools until summer.
However, didn't she also close down everything else in the state? When NM has something like 136 cases total, and one death?
Yup.
Quote:SANTA FE, N.M.- Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced new restrictions Monday to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The governor is instructing New Mexicans to remain in their home except for outings that are "absolutely necessary for health, safety and welfare." The order restricts gatherings of five or more people in outdoors spaces.
“Does this order mean you cannot walk your dog? No. Does it mean you can’t go for a jog? No. But you should not do those things in a group – and you should be home as soon as possible,” the governor said. “This social isolation strategy will only work if we all undertake it to the greatest extent we can. That boils down to one thing: Stay home.”
The order, which goes into effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday, closes all non-essential businesses and requires 100 percent of the state's non-essential workforce to work from home.
Essential businesses include:
Health care operations
Homeless shelters, food banks
Grocery stores, pharmacies
Gas stations
Child care services
Farms, ranches, and other food cultivation, processing or packaging operations
Law enforcement, first responders
Infrastructure operations including public works construction airport operations, public transportation, taxis, private transportation providers, water sewer, trash and recycling collection
Manufacturing operations involved in food processing
Services necessary to maintain the safety and sanitation of residences or essential businesses
Media
Hardware stores
Laundromats and dry clean services
Funeral services
Banks, credit unions, insurances providers, payroll services.
Real estate services
Businesses providing mailing and shipping
Laboratories and defense and national security-related operations
Restaurants breweries and distilleries, but only for delivery or carry out
Professional services, such as legal or accounting but only where necessary to assist in compliance with legally mandated activities
Logistics and businesses that store, ship or deliver groceries, food goods, or services directly to residences or retailers
The governor said the order is in effect until April 10.
The governor said New Mexico, unlike other states, does not use the term "shelter in place" because of the way the law is set up. That's why her instruction is to "stay at home." However, Gov. Lujan Grisham said the orders are very similar.
https://www.kob.com/coronavirus/gov-luja...3/?cat=500
She also wants to test every NM resident to see who has the virus.
Edit: We are now up to 191 cases: https://www.abqjournal.com/1437470/numbe...o-191.html
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03-27-2020 06:50 PM |
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