‘Open our schools’: Parents and students call on LCPS to reopen classrooms

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A group of Las Cruces parents and students called on the district to reopen public schools on Saturday afternoon.

"Get us back into school and get things going," said Kelly Bloomfield, who has five children in the district. "I trust the plans that they have, that they will work. We've had a year to prepare for this!"

Children joined their parents to protest in downtown Las Cruces. One child held a sign that read "I miss my friends."

This past week, the governor announced that school districts can decide whether students can return in a hybrid model. Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Karen Trujillo told ABC-7 the board will vote on Tuesday.

"Safety is really the primary consideration in every thing that we do and every decision that we make," Trujillo said following the governor's announcement.

Trujillo said there will be at least a three-week transition period between the board's decision to open schools and the day they invite students back.

She also told ABC-7 that the district will not force students or teachers to return if they are not comfortable.

"There's a way to make this work for everybody so that the people that need to be protected can be kept safe," Bloomfield said.