LCPS will require masks indoors for all students, staff

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- All students and staff at Las Cruces Public Schools will be required to wear face masks indoors to prevent the spread of Covid-19 when classrooms reopen, Superintendent Ralph Ramos announced Tuesday evening.

"All LCPS students and staff will be required to wear masks indoors during the school day and during afterschool indoor events,” said Ramos, who indicated the mandate was decided by the LCPS Board of Education during a meeting Tuesday evening.

It will take effect on Wednesday, although students don't actually start the new school year in-person until next Monday.

The mask requirement brings the school district in line with recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued last week, which then prompted state Public Education Department to shift its guidance and advise districts that mask requirements could be implemented.

“We are following the most current guidance from our local and national health experts,” Ramos explained.

That point was echoed by LCPS board president Ray Jaramillo, who had a message for Las Cruceans opposed to a school mask mandate.

“We want children in schools,” he said. “It’s time to put aside the political discourse and bring our community together.”