Most New Mexico students back in class amid virus surge

By CEDAR ATTANASIO and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Only a couple of school districts and a handful of individual schools in New Mexico are pausing in-person learning for a week amid rising COVID-19 cases. That’s according to data collected by the Public Education Department based on voluntary reporting by schools. New Mexico’s largest districts have plans aimed at keeping kids in the classroom this semester. And state health officials said during a briefing Wednesday that the classroom is probably the safest place for children. Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase did acknowledge that the challenge might be having enough staff if teachers miss work. Like other states, New Mexico is seeing more cases due to spread of the omicron variant.