4 Las Cruces families split on option of classroom return: Here are their stories
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - Four families, four unique situations.
Tens of thousands of Las Cruces students are eager to return to the classroom on April 5th. However, thousands do not feel safe attending class during a pandemic. Here are the stories of four families.
The Hernandez family
Isela Hernandez will not allow her 12-year-old to return to the classroom before the federal government approves a vaccine for children.
"The thought of my child getting Covid knowing he already has a lung problem - there's no way," Hernandez said.
Hernandez has a seventh grader who suffers from severe asthma, at times hospitalized with pneumonia and bronchitis. She told ABC-7 he has been in the ICU three times.
“It’s never less than six days of ICU stay," she explained.
The Costin family
Ally and Kylee Costin, ages 6 and 13, have yet to meet their classmates. They moved to Las Cruces last summer with their parents.
"I've met a lot of people through Zoom, but I'm really looking forward to seeing them in person," said Kylee, an eighth grader at Camino Real Middle School.
She said attending class for a month-and-a-half is "better than nothing!"
“We are so excited," said their mom, Terra. "We’ve been ready to go back to school since we moved here!"
Ally, a first grader at Sonoma Elementary School, misses school "a lot."
The Lopez/Richard family
The Richard sisters are proud of their online learning schedule.
"We have such a routine here," said their mother, Celmari Lopez. "The girls are so routine-based, I don’t know want to disrupt the progress for just a short period of time.”
Their family was surprised to learn the state was allowing students to return for six weeks. The sisters look forward to returning in August, but feel now is too soon.
"I was like, no," said Ariya Richard, a 7th grader at Vista Middle School. "I'm not going to test positive for Corona."
“It was very out of the blue," Lopez said. "It just feels like these decision are just so sudden. You’ve got to give everybody a chance to react."
The Haslam family
The Haslam household is full of laughter, toys and life. For the past year, Breanna Haslam has entertained four young children and an energetic puppy.
However, the young mother said it has been difficult to get her kids to engage with online learning the past few months. Her sons and daughter look forward to going back.
“Emotionally, I feel like they are having a hard time," she said. "I feel like we’ve kind of got our groove now, but they’re hitting a wall now. They’re just having a hard time with it.”
Her six-year-old, Lucy, is in kindergarten. For the first time in her life, Lucy will step foot inside a classroom on April 5th.
"I want to see my teacher in real life," the six-year-old said.
