bass...@comcast.net
Dr. Steinhaus, Mrs. Altherr, and School Board Members,
I have a concern about the re-opening of the Aspen Elementary for hybrid learning. There seem to be many great plans in place to help keep the students safe, including small class cohorts, specific bathroom plans, and even a plan for students when they need to blow their nose. However, I believe that these safety protocols are being thrown out the window when it comes to lunch. With all of these other safety plans, how can it be safe for my child to spend 30 minutes in a room with 52 kids, from two different grades, not wearing masks, while eating lunch. The re-entry guidelines from the NMPED, state that large group gathering should be avoided and that students should not be congregating.
Furthermore, this isn’t even the policy at every school. I have been told students from Barranca will be eating lunch in their classrooms. Why does one school have a safer procedure than another school in the same district? Why should where my child lives determine how safe he will be at school? If all the schools are not prepared to offer the safest environment possible, then they are clearly not ready to re-open.
I sincerely hope, for the sake of our teachers and students, that this safety oversight will be corrected before students are required to attend in-person school.
Thank you,
Christy Patterson
Parent of 3 LAPS students