OPEN the schools

[Rick Mooday]

LA School Board Members,

  Rumor has it that you are considering resisting the direction from the NM State and National level that says schools need to open in the interest of our youth. Your main job is looking out for the interests of the students and their education. Do you know that staying home is killing students nationwide? Many times more students, nationwide, are dying from suicide, abuse, lack of medical care and depression than from COVID. The solution being provided to the community of Los Alamos by this school board is more destructive than the pandemic! 

Studies show students are not getting COVID nor are they significantly contagious if they do get it, unlike older individuals. Have you somehow been convinced that teachers are at higher risk when working than the rest of the community? Teachers are safer in school than any parent that has to work and many that don't. Keeping school closed puts all parents at higher risk and threatens families futures. 

Do teachers live in a different community than parents? If a teacher does not want to return to school or is at risk, let them teach the students who want to remain in a remote learning environment. I'm sure there will be plenty of those. Why have you not asked what families want to enable this model? Most parents and students want to return to the proven and effective learning model which is in-person teaching. In-person teaching has always been the effective teaching model and it remains so (your own poll of parents showed that). 

I know that some (or many) teachers do not want to teach in person anymore. Online teaching positions are available, just not in the Los Alamos public school system. Parents have to go to work to have a job. It is your job to inform teachers that this reality also applies to them. 

Get to work and get students in school, learning, doing sports, socially interacting/growing and living. Now is the time, put controls in place, create rules to follow, accept some lack of efficiency and get our kids in school. Please put students first. 

Thank you for considering my opinions.

Rick Mooday 

850 Los Pueblos

Los Alamos, NM