Education department suspends school board after they fail to comply with mask guidelines
By Jaden Torres
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — The New Mexico Public Education Department suspended all five members on the Floyd school board Wednesday afternoon, after ignoring the NMPED’S guidelines on mask protocols for students returning to school.
The school board had voted several times to disregard the NMPED’s COVID-19-safe guidance on re-entry. The school board also voted to place Floyd Superintendent Damen Terry on administrative leave for not following their votes.
“The PED takes its responsibility to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all staff and students incredibly seriously. We cannot put students, staff and their families at unnecessary risk as we continue the fight against the delta variant. By ignoring these basic safety measures, the board impairs the ability of the district to offer safe and uninterrupted in-person learning opportunities,” Stewart said in the suspension memo.
That memo gave the Floyd school board a deadline on Tuesday at noon to rescind its actions or face other consequences, such as suspension of the school board. The board met Monday and voted to keep its decision to disregard the memo sent to them.
The Republican Party of New Mexico issued a statement that says in part: “We must get our kids back into classrooms safely, and local school boards must make their own decisions. The Republican Party stands shoulder to shoulder with the Floyd School Board and all other boards that refuse to accept these statewide orders from Santa Fe,” said RPNM Chairman Steve Pearce.
The Republican party went on to say school districts should manage their own systems and make the best choices for the well-being of students and that there must be legal protections at the local level.
The board members suspended are Leon Nall, Jeff Essary, Vicki Banister, Charlsea Lee and Ryan Bollema.
This is the third school board suspension during this administration.
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