New Mexico group to protest school mask guidelines
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LAS CRUCES - New Mexico Freedoms Alliance will be holding statewide protests against mask-wearing requirements in schools on Saturday.
The group has been rallying to push the state to remove all requirements for mask-wearing and allow parents and students to decide whether they want to wear a mask.
Last year, the New Mexico Public Education Department required all to mask up on school grounds to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. This year, the requirements are … well … a bit complicated and largely in flux.
On Monday, the PED issued a more relaxed mask-wearing policy, stating individuals in secondary schools do not need to wear masks if fully vaccinated. All students and staff in primary schools are still required to wear masks. Masks will not be required outside for anyone.
LAS CRUCES – We warned you not to throw away your masks, New Mexico s acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said Wednesday. Hopefully you didn t.
Scrase, leading the state health department following the departure of Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins earlier this month, said health officials were very concerned about a recent, rapid increase in cases of COVID-19 disease in New Mexico.
The state s public health order automatically adopts new guidance for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending individuals wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, in counties with the highest rates of transmission.
However, Scrase echoed a statement Tuesday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recommending all New Mexicans follow suit and mask up indoors throughout the state out of abundance of caution.
The New Mexico Public Education Department announced that $1 million would be awarded to New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico to launch the Teacher Residency Programs aimed at addressing teacher shortages in the state.
On average 28 percent of New Mexico’s educator jobs remained vacant, according to a July 22 news release from the Public Education Department (PED). The state had 571 openings for teachers according to a 2020 report published by New Mexico State University (NMSU), one-fifth were in southeast New Mexico
“New Mexico has a critical need for teachers and an expectation that we will meet that need by hiring the best and brightest students graduating from demanding teacher training programs,” said Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart.
The New Mexico Public Education Department’s guidance included in the COVID-19 Response Toolkit we issued yesterday stands for now as we review the latest recommendations from the CDC with our public health colleagues, said Ryan Stewart, the state s education secretary.
The PED stated Monday that it created its guidance in collaboration with the New Mexico Department of Health and based on evidence of the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines and the latest guidance from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
State health department spokesman David Morgan said the DOH would be holding a news conference Wednesday afternoon to address the new guidance.
LAS CRUCES - 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.
Masks will be required for everyone in elementary schools, regardless of vaccination status.
Masks will not be required outdoors for any grade level, and schools are encouraged to maximize their use of outdoor learning.
These notes and other masking guidance from the New Mexico Public Education Department were released in an updated toolkit Monday.