What will New Mexico schools look like this fall?

New Mexico’s School Reentry Task Force has made its recommendations for how schools will look this fall. If the Gov. adopts them the educational experiences of the State’s children will look dramatically different and I suspect that many more students will opt for school choice or even home school options. KOB TV has a story here. The full recommendations are here.

Among the most important recommendations are:

• All students and staff wear masks;
• Take temperatures of all students and staff;
• Maintain 6 feet of social distancing;
• Avoid field trips;
• Staggered attendance.

There are numerous questions and points to be made about this. Obviously the mask issue is a big one. Wearing a mask for long periods of time is uncomfortable for disciplined adults. Getting young children and teenagers will be a major challenge.

Maintaining social distancing is also going to be a deal breaker. For young people the social aspect of school is a major component of the entire experience.

Staggered attendance sounds like a good idea, but the real result for parents would likely be days spent hauling kids back and forth from school. Admittedly child care is a big part of what parents get out of education. Forcing them to run students to and from school throughout the day is not going to please anyone.

Will non-public school or charter schools be more innovative or open than these recommendations provide? Will home schooling experience an unprecedented boom as many expect?