New Mexico Governor Touts Progress On Virus, Draws Criticism -
By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is touting her administration s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the state stepped up last year with direct economic aid and is looking to provide more relief through pending legislation.
She spoke Tuesday during an online forum, acknowledging that the pandemic has been a cruel hardship. Critics have accused her of ignoring her own policies and spending thousands of dollars on groceries while many New Mexicans remain without jobs and businesses have yet to recover.
The Republican Governors Association on Monday launched a week of digital ads targeting the governor, and Republican leaders in the state say Lujan Grisham s choices have had unfortunate results.
New Mexico Details Its Request For Student Testing Waiver -
By Cedar Attanasio Associated Press / Report For America
New Mexico education officials have released details of a request to the federal government to waive some standardized testing requirements this year due to the pandemic.
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Education, they ask for an exemption from the requirement to test 95% of students. Instead, they want to test at least 1% of students and gather a representative sample.
Officials say testing even half the student population would be challenging under the virus restrictions. Under the plan, the state would provide all families the option to have their students tested this spring, but not require them to do so.