Dear Dr. Steinhaus, Mrs. Guy, and School Board Members,
As an educator, I feel its just not the right time to go back to hybrid in-person learning when our state's Covid cases are spiking at historic numbers. As Dr. Scrase said last Thursday, "If there was ever a time to social distance here in NM, now is that time." Our state's recent rate of infection had risen to 105%, which is top three in the United States. A large population of our staff and children commute from outside of Los Alamos daily. Our labs' scientists are now being sent out of state for research again. Many of our kids currently attend an assortment of camps and practices and even others are going out of state and playing in athletic tournaments. In addition to our States' spiking case counts these additional factors increase the risk of infection here in Los Alamos exponentially.
We need to be patient and not feel PUSHED back into in person learning. As an educator I feel pushed right now to do something that puts my health and the health of those around me at risk. Additionally, as an elementary teacher, I feel that my life is being experimented with before my middle school and high school colleagues.
For reasons mentioned, I strongly feel that now is not the time for our school district to spur ahead in to hybrid in-person learning. In stead, this is the time and the opportunity for Los Alamos Public Schools to be patient and to lead the state in making a more conscious decision which uses science, data and values the lives and safety of people by not pushing ahead into hybrid in-person leaning at this time.
Respectfully,
Lanse Carter
Barranca Teacher
