Start hybrid on October 19th

[Alison Watkins]

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

I'm writing to you once again to implore you stand by your earlier decision to begin hybrid learning at the elementary level on October 19th.  

To put it simply, remote learning is not working.  I have a sophomore, a 7th grader, and a 1st grader, and the learning gap is most pronounced at the elementary level.  My 1st grader gets 1.5 hours a day of remote interaction with his teacher.  This is wholly insufficient for a 1st grader trying to learn to read and learn basic math facts.  I have heard Dr. Boerigter discuss the learning gap at previous School Board meetings and I can say it is real and it is widening each day that we remain in a remote-only learning model.

As you are aware, New Mexico ranks 50th in the nation for education.  LAPS has always stood out as an exception within this statistic; however, this district is on the verge of sacrificing our children's education to placate a very vocal minority.   I know many LAPS teachers who do not agree with the recent statements put forth by the president of the Los Alamos Federation of School Employees.  These teachers are ready and excited to return to the classroom for hybrid learning on October 19th.  We have got to get our kids back into the classroom if this District is going to close the learning gap.  The only way to do this is to start with the state-mandated hybrid model of learning.  

Unfortunately the Covid-19 virus isn't going anywhere soon.  We have got to learn to live with this virus in a safe manner.  We cannot rely on remote-only education for our children until this virus goes away because that may never happen.  We have to mitigate our risks and move forward.  School is a great place for children to learn Covid-safe practices such as hand washing, mask wearing, and social distancing.  As Jennifer Guy said in a recent School Board meeting, this is similar to how children learn other ways of being safe and respectful at school.  

While the number of Covid-19 cases in our state is rising, the number of cases in our county has not seen a significant increase.  Los Alamos is a science-based town--we must rely on the science and the gating criteria and NOT on emotions when deciding to open or close our schools.  If LAPS students are truly going to "Thrive" this year and in the future we have got to get them back in the classroom.

Respectfully,

Alison Watkins