LCPS reports COVID-19 case at Alameda Elementary

LAS CRUCES - Alemeda Elementary School is closed for cleaning after a staffer tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

Las Cruces Public Schools reported staff at Alameda was notified Monday evening. The building is expected to reopen on Friday, Oct. 2

The total number of LCPS employees who have tested positive is 12, including two this week. On Monday, the district announced a Zia Middle School staffer test positive.

Las Cruces public schools have been offering remote instruction, relying heavily on online learning, since March, after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a public health emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic. Some teachers opt to teach from their classrooms, and school sites are also open for some non-teaching staff. 

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Beginning on Labor Day, school districts and charters with state-approved action plans, in counties meeting certain public health criteria, were permitted to resume face-to-face instruction for younger students. However, the Las Cruces school board voted in September to stick with remote learning through December. 

The state Public Education Department has reported 188 total cases in 94 public schools statewide since Aug. 17. 134 of the cases involved staff members and the remaining 54 were students.