Safe Start Report Comments

[Tracy Thompson]

Dear Los Alamos Public School Board Members,

I am writing to you to express my concern, as an LAHS teacher, about the hybrid model proposed in the Safe Start Report. 

First and foremost, I am concerned about my and my students' safety. As a part time (.6) high school teacher working under the hybrid model, as many as 90 students will be in my classroom each week, in addition to others who need to communicate with me.  Even with extensive cleaning, face coverings, and social distancing, my students and I will be exposed to far too many  people, especially given the new information that COVID-19 could be airborne. Assuming parents carefully screen their children for symptoms each day before school starts, it is entirely possible for them to show no symptoms until after they arrive at school.  In addition, I am uncomfortable with the plan to allow the use of face shields without masks as a face covering.  The CDC specifically recommends against using face shields alone: "It is not known if face shields provide any benefit as source control to protect others from the spray of respiratory particles. CDC does not recommend use of face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings" (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.htm).

Next, like all teachers, my goal is to provide my students with an excellent education.

In the hybrid model, at least half of the students will be working asynchronously at home on teacher provided materials and assessments each school day, but I will be teaching on a normal schedule each day except Wednesday. Remote learning should be engaging and interactive, even when asynchronous, and teacher presence in remote work is essential. While it is true that teachers will be working with smaller groups of students than usual, dividing students into these small groups essentially creates double the number of classes for teachers, and will require me to work many hours outside of my contract hours to provide remote learning, or give my students less than what they deserve.   

In addition to teaching at Los Alamos High School, I am an online faculty member at UNM-Los Alamos.  I have extensive training in online course design and delivery, and I have taught online for 9 years, using different online platforms.  I also review online courses for quality and mentor faculty, so my concerns are not based on inexperience.  With proper training in how to teach online (not simply how to use online tools), teachers can, and do, deliver exceptional education to students of all ages in fully remote classrooms.  I know because I am one of them, and I have no doubt my colleagues at LAPS can do so as well.

For the safety of everyone involved, I urge you to strongly reconsider the plan to begin school with the hybrid model and start the year fully remotely. 

Thank you for your consideration,

Tracy Thompson

Los Alamos High School

English 10 and 11

505-663-2574

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