Going to Hybrid

[Kandice Favorite]

Dear School Board, Dr. Steinhaus, and Mrs. Guy,

Thank you for doing the work that you do for our staff and students. I appreciate the level-headed and rational decisions you have made so far. I hope you will continue making decisions based on data, not based on fear.

I am absolutely in favor of moving ahead to the hybrid schedule on Monday, October 19. The delay of a few weeks has allowed us to make the necessary plans to keep staff and students as safe as possible. Our school has worked very hard to make schedules to keep classes as separated as possible, as well as allowing students to have all of their specials virtually each week. 

To delay hybrid at this point when it is a week away is unfair to staff, families, and students. Families will be scrambling to adjust childcare requirements. The staff has been working very hard to make plans for a successful move to hybrid and a delay would discredit that hard work. Not only would a delay be unfair, it is unnecessary. I know that covid-19 is a threat as numbers increase around the state. However, Los Alamos continues to have a limited number of positive cases. Also, LAPS still meets the criteria that the district has set for moving from fully remote to the hybrid model. NMPED and DOH have approved our reopening plan, we still meet the safety checklist items, and we still have three months of PPE. 

I know that the addition of this agenda item is a response to the union. The union is only telling one side of the story, the story of the teachers who are not ready to go to the hybrid model. The other side of the story is that there are many teachers who are ready to start hybrid because the risk factor is low and our students need to be in school. It is a story of teachers who are tired of the roller coaster of indecision. Also the union doesn't tell the story of our students. Some students are capable of being successful at remote learning, but the bottom line is that the majority are not. Those students and our special education students are struggling and falling further and further behind. They need to be in school.

Please also consider the fact that many districts all around the country have been successfully back at school since August. These include districts in counties that have a much higher risk than Los Alamos.

Also keep in mind that if you delay hybrid until January, we will be right back at this point then. The people who are worried about going to hybrid now will still be worried then. There will never be a point when there is zero-risk and it seems that is what people are hoping for. Even when there is a vaccine, which is still a long time away, there will be risk.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully,

Kandice Favorite

LAPS teacher and parent