ALBUQUERQUE – The Albuquerque Public Schools Board voted to extend online instruction through the end of the first semester.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham had said classes would take place remotely until at least Sept. 7.

The public schools board conducted a survey sent out to all 59,000 parents that said 56.3% of the nearly 14,000 who responded said they were “very uncomfortable” with their children returning to school in person.

About 61% of parents who responded said that sending their children back to school in person was an “unnecessary risk.”

That same survey found about 29% of the responding parents are thinking about transferring their kids to a school that is teaching in-person and just over 34% are thinking about switching their children to home-schooling. About 10% have already transferred their children’s schools, and just under 12% have already switched their children to home-schooling.

Three public schools in the jurisdiction have had positive cases of the coronavirus. East San Jose Elementary has seen two cases while Hawthorne Elementary and Hayes Middle School have each seen one case. All three schools are closed.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some – especially older adults and people with existing health problems – it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.