Last year, the traditional Hobbs High School Senior Bash was cancelled due COVID-19 restriction but organizers still handed out bags full of gifts and prizes to seniors at a private community prom event held in Texas. As Lea County continues to return to the normal way of life, this year’s HHS Bash committee is hoping to return to the more …

NEW YORK (AP) — Students can safely sit just 3 feet apart in the classroom as long as they wear masks but should be kept the usual 6 feet away from one another at sporting events, assemblies, lunch or chorus practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines. The revised recommendations represent a …

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health announced on Monday that all K-12 educators, early childhood (EC) professionals, and staff will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine beginning today, March 8. In keeping with a White House directive, the state will offer first shots to these groups over an approximately three-week period, as follows: • Week 1 (beginning …

Teachers in the Hobbs Municipal School District may not have had children physically in the classroom for most of the year, or gone to conferences, meetings or educational get-togethers, but they will be getting a bonus for the year’s exceptional work environment. “This really has come about just because of the … we have changed the way teachers have taught, …

Hobbs Municipal Schools Board of Directors heard the finalized 80-day numbers for student enrollment, and the number of students enrolled is at its lowest point in more than five years. The numbers, previously presented, were finalized on Jan. 19, but presented to the board at the regular monthly meeting Tuesday night. The 80-day enrollment numbers comparison to last year shows …

By COLLIN BINKLEY and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press The nation’s top public health agency said Friday that in-person schooling can resume safely with masks, social distancing and other strategies, and vaccination of teachers, while important, is not a prerequisite for reopening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its long-awaited road map for getting students back to classrooms in …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s largest teachers union is opposing legislation that would extend the school year to make up for learning that was lost during the coronavirus pandemic. Children are facing unprecedented setbacks amid online instruction, and court rulings are pressuring state leaders to improve student outcomes, which were some of the worst in the nation even …

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Carlsbad’s school board is voicing support for a proposal to convert the New Mexico State University branch campus in the southeastern New Mexico city into an independent community college. The board voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of a resolution supporting the proposed conversion, which local officials contend would benefit students, faculty, staff and the community, the …

FROM THE N.M. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: Frequently Asked Questions When will my middle/high school open? The decision to expand in-person learning to secondary students is made by each local district or charter school’s governing board. The Public Education Department now permits all middle and high schools to reopen in a hybrid model beginning Feb. 8, as long as they meet …

SANTA FE — Middle and high school students are included in a decision announced Tuesday to expand in-person learning options beginning Feb. 8 for every district and charter school across New Mexico based on extensive preparations and protocols to assure student and educator safety. The Public Education Department’s updated guidance for expanded in-person learning, approved by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, …