Good morning RRPS Community,

Please see below for the latest school reentry information in this newest edition of the School Reentry E-Newsletter for the 2021-2022 school year:
Find the Appropriate Testing Site for Quick Access & Results
As cases in our community continue to grow, the demand for COVID-19 testing has been increasing in our area. It’s important to locate the appropriate type of testing site for you or your child to ensure quick access and results. Our partners at Presbyterian
have recently experienced an increase in asymptomatic (no symptom) individuals seeking COVID-19 testing in their urgent care facilities, emergency departments and locations. We have been asked to notify you that Presbyterian does not offer testing for asymptomatic individuals at these sites. Should an asymptomatic individual seek a test at these sites, it will create a delay in getting a test as they will be directed elsewhere. 

As a reminder, testing sites are available throughout the state and COVID-19 testing should be accessed through these designated NMDOH testing sites, instead of an urgent care or emergency room.  

To find a testing location near you, please visit the New Mexico Department of Health’s site using the button below:
Student Surveillance Testing Program Reminder
As a reminder, the New Mexico Public Education Department is requiring all school districts to continue to participate in student surveillance testing this school year. This requirement includes surveillance testing of at least 25% of students who are participating in in-person learning each week.
Testing is completely voluntary and free for families. We are inviting students to voluntarily participate each week via the schedule on our website.

If you choose to have your child(ren) participate, you may locate a testing site via the Public Health Office Testing Sites (https://cv.nmhealth.org/covid-19-testing/). We are not offering testing services at our schools.

Learn more about participation and how to submit results by clicking the button below.
RRPS Case Count Update for September
Rio Rancho Public Schools wants to keep you informed on the number of positive COVID-19 cases we're seeing in our facilities. At this time, the case counts are reflective of the rising cases we are seeing in our community, and we have not seen spread within our schools. Our Rapid Response Teams take care to conduct all necessary contact tracing, quarantining of close contacts, disinfecting and complete all necessary reporting paperwork whenever we have a positive case within the district.

For the month of August, we had 121 positive cases in our schools where the individual was infectious while on campus. For the month of September, as of the morning of Sept. 9, we have seen 57 positive COVID-19 cases.
CDC: Facts About the Delta Variant

The Delta variant of COVID-19 has become the predominant variant of the virus in New Mexico. But what does that mean? Check out these facts about Delta from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

  • The Delta variant is more contagious: The Delta variant is highly contagious, more than 2x as contagious as previous variants.

  • Some data suggest the Delta variant might cause more severe illness than previous variants in unvaccinated people. In two different studies from Canada and Scotland, patients infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be hospitalized than patients infected with Alpha or the original virus that causes COVID-19. Even so, the vast majority of hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19 are in unvaccinated people.

  • Unvaccinated people remain the greatest concern: The greatest risk of transmission is among unvaccinated people who are much more likely to get infected, and therefore transmit the virus. Fully vaccinated people get COVID-19 (known as breakthrough infections) less often than unvaccinated people. People infected with the Delta variant, including fully vaccinated people with symptomatic breakthrough infections, can transmit the virus to others. CDC is continuing to assess data on whether fully vaccinated people with asymptomatic breakthrough infections can transmit the virus.

  • Fully vaccinated people with Delta variant breakthrough infections can spread the virus to others. However, vaccinated people appear to spread the virus for a shorter time: For prior variants, lower amounts of viral genetic material were found in samples taken from fully vaccinated people who had breakthrough infections than from unvaccinated people with COVID-19. For people infected with the Delta variant, similar amounts of viral genetic material have been found among both unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people. However, like prior variants, the amount of viral genetic material may go down faster in fully vaccinated people when compared to unvaccinated people. This means fully vaccinated people will likely spread the virus for less time than unvaccinated people.
500 Laser Rd NE
Rio Rancho, NM 87124