8-04-2021 2:26am

APS School Board Meeting Chaos

Chris Edwards Editor

The Alamogordo Public Schools Board held a special meeting regarding mask mandates for children on Tuesday morning.

A crowd of anti-masking parents were rowdy and in attendance opposed to mandatory mask mandates.

The board president repeatedly asked for order from the audience and eventually tabled the motion to mandate as it failed on a 2/2 vote.

In attendance supporting the anti-mask crowd was Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, all the while Otero County has a vaccination rate of less then 41% and is classified by the New Mexico Department pf Health a High Risk Zone for exposure to the virus and possible spread.

This action puts Alamogordo schools at risk to possibly loose state funding as the state mandate says Students who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will have to wear masks in public secondary schools in New Mexico to start the 2021-2022 school year. Students, teachers, school staff, visitors and volunteers who are vaccinated will not have to wear masks in secondary schools.

The state Public Education Department on Monday released its COVID-19 safety guidelines as staff and students prepare to return to classrooms — some as early as next week.

Changes in the long-awaited guidelines include a shortening of physical distance requirements and heightened testing requirements for unvaccinated school staff.

The guidelines also ease face mask requirements for vaccinated students in middle schools and high schools. But masks will continue to be required in all elementary schools and for anyone who is unvaccinated or fails to provide proof of vaccination, the education department said in a news release.

The state is directing schools to provide masks for students who need them — and those who refuse to wear them will be quarantined from their peers and sent home from school.

Schools also will be able to create their own disciplinary measures for those who violate mask rules, but the measures cannot include suspension or expulsion.

Schools no longer will be required to report COVID-19 cases recorded on weekends and holidays, but in response to the results of surveillance testing of asymptomatic people, the state is increasing testing mandates.

“Until vaccinations are available to children of every age it will be incumbent on each of us, in school environments, to do everything we can to minimize risk — that includes face coverings,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news release issued by the education department on July 27th. “Various studies and federal data show have shown school environments are and can be safe.”

Last school year, 663 cases of COVID-19 were identified in schools across New Mexico through surveillance testing.

This year, the state is asking schools to maintain voluntary testing programs that hold a weekly goal of testing 25 percent of all unvaccinated students participating in after-school programs, such as sports. The previous goal, according to the state, was to test 1 percent of the overall student population and 10 percent of students participating in extracurricular activities.

All schools are now also required to test a quarter of unvaccinated staff members each week as well.

Students wearing masks may now get within 3 feet of one another, but 6 feet of distance will be required between adults and students.

The state also announced school-related events like assemblies and dances will be permitted, with masking requirements and social distancing for unvaccinated people.

Masking has become a contentious discussion point amping the public. With the new variant infection rates are up 123% in New Mexico and time will tell if this variant will again shut down the state and nation.