Alamogordo Public Schools receives first National Guard substitute teachers

At the regular Alamogordo Public Schools Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Kenneth Moore announced he had requested 30 National Guardsmen to serve as substitute teachers in the district.

The first two National Guardsmen arrived on Jan. 24 and began substitute teaching at Alamogordo High School.

"We hope to have more as the program gears up and Guard members receive their substitute licensure through NMPED," Moore said on Jan. 25.

More:Alamogordo Public Schools requests 30 National Guardsmen to substitute teach amid COVID-19

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked for the National Guard and some state workers to become certified to substitute teach through the New Mexico Public Education Department to help offset staffing shortages at schools and childcare facilities brought on by COVID-19. Lujan Grisham announced the Supporting Teachers and Families (STAF) initiative in a Jan. 19 news release.

Rising COVID-19 cases in Alamogordo Public School  caused the district to enact its highest level of mitigation levels, or COMITLs, in several schools and departments across the district. CMITLs apply if a school or department has 5% or more rolling two-week average positive COVID-19 cases.

More:Here's what Alamogordo Public Schools COVID-19 mitigation levels mean

So far, no schools have been closed due to COVID-19 since the COMITLs were announced in Fall 2021.

However the Test 2 Stay program has allowed schools to remain open.

Test 2 Stay is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pilot program that keeps students found to have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the classroom by testing the affected students every other day instead of sending them home.

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"Our ability to test symptomatic students and staff and quarantine those who test positive enables us to keep our schools open despite the rising COMITLs," Moore said.  "We may have to combine bus routes and classes as our employee availability levels necessitate, but we are doing everything possible to remain open."

If a parent or guardian is not comfortable sending their student to in-person class, or if the student prefers, virtual learning is available through coordination with the student's teachers and principal, Moore said.

"We truly appreciate the support, patience, and grace of our parents and community as we work through the challenges of this COVID-19 surge," Moore said.

COVID-19 in Otero County by the numbers

 As of Jan. 24, Otero County has had 11,533 positive COVID-19 cases, 8,905 reported recoveries and 157 deaths attributed to COVID-19 since reporting began in March 2020, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

As of Jan. 24, Otero County has an average of 57.2% of residents with a completed vaccination series, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

For information about COVID-19 in New Mexico, including where to get tested or vaccinated, visit cv.nmhealth.org or vaccinenm.org.

Residents can also call the Coronavirus hotline at 1-855-600-3453 or call the COVID-19 vaccine registration call center at 1-855-600-3453, press option 0 for vaccine questions, and then option 3 for tech support.

Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter.