March 4, 2022
Dear Escuela Families,
Thank you for all your feedback and the thoroughness with which you have prepared your children as we shift our Covid-19 protocols. Last week, when we adjusted the campus mandate to make masking outdoors optional, we said we would watch case numbers carefully with the objective of ending the mask mandate altogether. Cases across the state continue to decrease and, recently, the CDC changed the way it monitors risk. Consequently, we are making masking optional both indoors and outdoors effective Monday, March 7.
We expected a potential spike in cases following the governor’s repeal, and are encouraged by the fact that cases have remained low. NMPED and ECECD have dropped their masking mandates for schools and daycare centers. The CDC, using their updated method for assessing risk, moved Bernalillo County out of the high-risk category a week ago, where it has remained. The model predicts, rather than responds to, an increase in cases. The CDC no longer recommends masking indoors.
Over the past few months, we have gained access to and implemented more effective tools to ensure a healthy community. We support the use of high-filtration masks that protect the wearer for staff and students who wish to use them. We have newly-installed high quality air filtration systems in all classrooms. We have Test-to-Stay, surveillance testing and our Community Health Screening form to prevent and detect on-campus cases. And, as we have done all along, we will monitor and respond to developments as they occur, and will reinstate the mask requirement if necessary.
While this is a significant shift, it’s also a moment we’ve been awaiting for nearly two years. We are confident we can move forward safely, and we are excited to see your children’s beautiful faces. If you feel that your child should continue to wear a mask at school, our classroom guides will support your child in that decision. We ask that all families send an unused mask to be kept in their child’s classroom in case they develop symptoms while at school. If you have any questions about this new protocol, please reach out to our Covid officer, Elizabeth Marcilla.
Regards,
Kate Chavez ~ Executive Director
Elizabeth Marcilla ~ Administrative Director & Covid Officer
