On Dec. 22, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) extended the student loan payment pause through May 1, 2022.
The pause includes the following relief measures for eligible loans:
A $64 million grant from the American Rescue Plan through the CDC will provide funding for improved COVID-19 testing and resources at schools. The goal is to limit the length of time a student or staff needs to quarantine after being identified as a close contact. Check with your school for more information.
Check out the updated Covid-response toolkit: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/NMPED_COVID19ResponseToolkit_PublicSch1102_PublicVersion.pdfÂ
Source: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/back-to-school-guidance/Â
Updated December 15, 2021
The Public Education Department is committed to keeping our school leaders and communities up to date about Coronavirus in New Mexico (COVID-19). NMPED and New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) are working together on a daily basis to share the most current information as well as to consult on protocols, procedures and best practices.
Please check the website below for information on school reentry guidance, academic enrichment tool kit for families, implementation guide for continuous learning plans, meal sites for children, and food handling guidelines for volunteers.
The Khan Academy is a nonprofit with the mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.
Updated December 22, 2021
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is still available to eligible households until March 1, 2022!
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms.Â
The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
Households can apply in three ways:Â
Emergency Broadband Support Center
P.O. Box 7081
London, KY 40742
For more information, check this website: https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit
Updated December 23, 2021
Brainfuse, an online tutoring and career coaching service, is now available to all New Mexico Residents, sponsored by the New Mexico State library. Brainfuse includes two services, HelpNow and JobNow.
HelpNow is a unique tutoring and study suite designed for people of all ages. It consists of expert tutoring including one-to-one online homework help, skills building, writing assistance, an adult learning center, foreign language center, and 24/7 question center. Further, its study tools include access to a testing center, group study collaboration tools, and flashcard creation.
JobNow is Brainfuse’s premium job coaching service. Its distinctive suite of resources for job seekers includes on-demand access to trained career experts who provide live, one-to-one interview coaching and resume assistance. Job coaches provide live, online assistance in strategically targeting jobs best suited to a patron’s interests and qualifications.
Brainfuse is part of the El Portal collection of resources presented by the New Mexico State Library. Go to https://www.elportalnm.org/
Updated December 23, 2021
A WNMU program that offers meaningful tuition assistance to those who’ve been furloughed and want to expand their training, qualifications or even start toward a new career.
