News
Letter from Superintendent Abetya
September 30, 2022
PDF Version [151.0 K]
Santa Fe Indian School
Office of the Superintendent
Good Morning Parents,
I am writing this letter to update you on Santa Fe Indian School’s (SFIS) COVID-positive cases this month. In the month of September, our COVID-positive case numbers are at a total of 56 staff and students. We have a total school population, including staff and students, of 966 so these numbers represent 5.8% of the school. There are no hospitalizations due to COVID because we are 98% vaccinated.
Our response has been swift and necessary to stop the spread. As of Monday, we returned to mandatory indoor masking and, on Tuesday, moved to Phase 3 for Extracurricular Activities and Sporting Events. We continue to reiterate our more restrictive COVID Safe Practices by encouraging students and staff to keep a distance of 6 feet apart, frequent hand washing, and not to share food or drinks.
Moving forward, we will continue the COVID vaccination mandate for students and staff. This means that we will require that everyone receive the new COVID bivalent booster - we will be sending details next week. If your student is eligible for the bivalent booster and has not received it, Santa Fe IHS is offering a bivalent booster clinic tomorrow, October 1, 2022 from 9am-2pm. This clinic is by appointment only: please call (505) 946-9282 or (505) 946-9203 to schedule an appointment.
Santa Fe Indian School's COVID Mitigation Plan is on the SFIS website in the COVID-19 Mitigation Center and has been hailed as one of the most comprehensive approaches to COVID mitigation by other school districts and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH). We knew that there would be times throughout the year when we would see the virus move upward and downward, just as we see in our communities, and our Mitigation Plan takes this into account. For this reason, we were able to quickly identify the uptick in cases and take steps to reduce further transmission.
With love for our children,
Christie L. Abeyta, Superintendent