Los Alamos Public Schools has established the Safe-Start Task Force to prepare for reopening schools in the fall. The broadly representative group includes parents, students, the head nurse, LAPS administration, teachers, and community members.

 We will open school in the fall of 2020. Our job is to figure out how to make it successful. The safety of staff and students will be central to achieving that success. LAPS will follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) and the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED). Learning will include a mix of in-class, online and self-directed work.

 Our three priorities are student learning, student well-being, and staff well-being and excellence.

The task force has several working groups that will focus on:

• Student and parent focus groups
• LAPS staff focus groups
• Safety
• Online and in-person classroom learning
• Drills and quick response closure
• Communications
• School calendar
• Policies for students and employees
• Transportation
• Sports and extracurricular activities

Task force members will conduct an extensive review of CDC guidance, as well as communications from both the NMPED and NMDOH. The group will also seek input from students, staff and the community, as well as review emerging best practices from other school systems nationally and internationally.  The task force will assess the full range of options for LAPS and provide recommendations based on the best available evidence. We want our students to thrive in any school setting, whether it is in a physical classroom or an online setting.

Dr. Steinhaus