Dear APS,

School officials must act to protect students and teachers during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. The health of teachers, staff, and students is non-negotiable. In order to ensure that the health and wellbeing of all is protected the following demands must be met. 

1. Fourteen consecutive days of no-new COVID-19 cases in Bernalillo county before APS returns to in-person instruction;

2. APS will provide necessary technology such as laptops and access to the internet, as well as necessities such as meals (which would normally be eaten at school) to all students to help to ease the added stressors of online learning for all APS families for the duration of the remote instruction period;

3. Superintendents must ensure that virtual learning is accessible to all students, including those with special needs, and provide accessibility tools to teachers and students who require it;

 

4. APS faculty and staff must have the continued promise of sustainable paid leave and benefits, including guaranteed paid leave for any necessary sick time;

5. If appropriate and available allow the opportunity and avenue for undergraduate education students to support teachers in virtual classroom settings; 

6. Superintendents, and other school officials should use their voice to advocate for the continuation of free hot meals for underprivileged students, and unemployment benefits for the parents of students;

7. APS will provide emotional and mental support to the greatest extent possible, such as schools providing education on local and national resources for depression and other mental health needs, and/or occasional group therapy with certified social workers, therapists, or counselors if possible. 

 

If APS chooses to re-open despite the significant risks to our community, we demand that

1. APS must provide regular, free, ongoing COVID-19 testing and contact tracing for K-12 students, teachers, and school faculty as well as their families;

2. APS must conduct daily temperature checks for K-12 students, staff, school faculty, and enforce a "no exception" quarantine, when necessary;

3. APS must provide Personal Protection Equipment for students and staff throughout the duration of in-person instruction;

4. APS must ensure small class sizes and ensure 6 feet social distancing protocols are followed;

5. APS must provide plastic separators for teachers' desk areas and if possible, for all students’ desks and tables;

6. APS must ensure that faculty infected with COVID-19, no matter the source of the infection, will be provided paid sick leave that is separate from "sick-day-banks and accrued sick leave" to ensure faculty can comply with quarantine procedures as well as pay their bills and feed themselves and family.

7. APS must mandate a district-wide public safety Hotline to report noncompliance complaints;

8. APS must stop criminalizing our children! The proposed use of APS Police in response to children who are symptomatic for COVID-19 will result in the further over-policing and criminalization of our vulnerable and minority communities;

9. APS must provide an ongoing, online-only option for families concerned about in-school exposure.