Decision on return to hybrid at special Feb. 8 board meeting
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. — The Grants/Cibola County School District board listened attentively as each building principal described survey responses. The survey provided an opportunity to identify preferences for returning to hybrid instruction or remaining in the virtual learning mode. Superintendent Max Perez had requested that each principal present their results at the Feb. 2 meeting, which was held via Zoom. Each building administrator offered a detailed description of the responses they had received from families and employees.
The district has 11 facilities — seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and three high schools. Three building administrators serve at more than one site: Principal Gary Miller leads Bluewater and San Rafael Elementary Schools, Principal Lisa Salazar serves Cubero and S eboyeta Elementary Schools, and Principal Jackie Sanchez leads the Laguna-Acoma Middle School and the L-A High School. Principal Salazar and Principal Sanchez emphasized geographic location was an important factor in community members’ responses. These sites are within the Pueblo of Laguna, which has closed its border to limit instances of COVID-19 transmission.
Principal Sanchez said that concerns about access to vaccination resulted in most of staff and families stating their preference to remain in the virtual format through the end of this academic year. Principal Salazar, Cubero and Seboyeta sites, said the two schools’ data was comparable to the L-A Jr./Sr. principal’s report. She stressed that responses echoed similar concerns about returning to the hybrid model.
Principal Lane Widner, Grants High School, noted that current enrollment is 820; he acknowledged that 108 students are Acoma tribal members, 28 are Pueblo of Laguna, and more than 100 are Navajo Nation members.
Dr. Richard Yzenbaard, Early College High School principal, commented that the five teachers prefer to return to hybrid instruction five days a week once everyone is vaccinated. The ECHS current enrollment lists 12 freshmen and 21 sophomores. The school was established two years ago and is housed on the NMSU-Grants campus. He said all Grants Branch classes are only available online and ECHS students are comfortable with that instructional format.
Principal Miller, Bluewater and San Rafael schools, said responses from San Rafael parents and staff also favored remaining in the distancelearning platform through the end of this semester. He added that several families had relatives pass away from COVID in the past three months.
Each principal emphasized that building staff fully support the board’s decision about whether to return to hybrid or remain in the virtual instruction mode.
Board member Emily Hunt-Dailey asked Superintendent Perez to create a summary sheet that identified the total number of staff who preferred virtual learning, the number supporting hybrid instruction, and the same categories for families who had responded to their school’s survey.
Richard Jones, board vice president, spoke passionately about returning students to the classroom setting. He urged board members and administrative staff to review data from other states on “retuning schools to normal.” Jones remarked that there are no known cases of students transmitting the coronavirus to school employees or bringing it home to their family members.
“I would put every one of them [students] back in classroom right now,” he said, but added that he recognizes this option is not currently available to G/CCSD.
Member Hunt-Dailey reiterated that no vaccine is 100 percent effective.
“There is no handbook with exact answers for this whole [pandemic] situation,” commented President Ron Ortiz.
(The Feb. 9 board meeting dedicated one hour for public comment on a first-come-first-serve basis and continued with the public comment session until the time allotted had expired. Other agenda items included discussions and consultation with representatives of the Pueblo of Acoma, Pueblo of Laguna, and the Navajo Nation on the re-entry plan. This was followed by a discussion between the five-member board and district administration officials. The board was scheduled to then vote on Action Item A: Consideration of approval or amendment of school reentry plan, according to the agenda posted on Feb. 5.)
Upcoming meetings
• February 16
5:30 p.m., the Grants/Cibola County school board will hold an electronic meeting via Zoom. Visit https://www.gccs.k12.nm.0s/ or call 505-285-2603 for more information.
• March 2
5:30 p.m., the Grants/Cibola County school board will hold an electronic meeting via Zoom. Visit https://www.gccs.k12.nm.0s/ or call 505-285-2603 for more information.