Teachers union impressed with COVID-19 safety measures after touring Rio Rancho school

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- Representatives from the American Federation of Teachers toured schools in Rio Rancho to see how the district is keeping educators and students safe.

"If I had a magic wand, I would wish that every educator and parent in America could see what I saw today because this really is a blueprint of how you reopen schools to in-person learning," said Randi Weingarten, president of the union.

Weingarten toured Ernest Stapleton Elementary School.

"It’s been a long journey from March of last year to now," said Cheryl Clark, principal of the school.

The year was marked with a lot of collaboration.

"It’s definitely working as a team at all levels to get us to open up fully this week," said Carey Rojas, a teacher at the school.

Staff got to work as soon as the pandemic hit to make sure they could safely reopen.

"I think we know way more about ventilation than I ever wanted to learn about ventilation," said Stephanie Ly, president of the New Mexico chapter of the union.

The school requires masks and there are markers to make sure people are socially distanced.

"What you see around the school is all the protocols not only being set up but being used and internalized kids wearing masks their desks 3-6 feet apart teachers being mindful about the spacing," Weingarten noted.