RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) – Next week, students in Ruidoso will be returning to school. But after deadly flooding just weeks ago and the monsoon season still underway, how is the school preparing for severe weather? “This summer has been another catastrophic summer for our community,” said Becca Ferguson, Superintendent for Ruidoso Municipal Schools.
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She said the July 8 flooding displaced 65 of its about 1,700 students. “We have had students and our employees who have either lost their homes completely and are staying at hotels or motels in that area,” said Ferguson.
The flooding also impacted parts of campus. The district said there was debris on playgrounds and that the softball field is a total loss. But the classrooms are ready for students. “Our buildings are in great shape, we’ve been very blessed as a district,” said Ferguson.
But with monsoon season still not quite over, parents on social media are expressing concern about sending kids back to campus. “We’ve had parents reach out because they are concerned, and they should be; we are too. We’re all very vigilant. We’re concerned about the weather,” said Ferguson.
But the district said it’s prepared. It met with village leaders on Wednesday to fine-tune its flooding protocols and make sure it’s aligned with village flooding protocols. The district expects to publish those protocols on Thursday.
The district also stressed that communication is key and said it will communicate any changes to the school day to parents on Facebook, via the district app, or through text messages. They said they’ll work closely with emergency management and the National Weather Service, as Ruidoso weather can change within minutes. “Last year, no day was the same, and so we anticipate that’s going to be very similar for this year as well,” said Ferguson.
Though they are still hoping to give students as much normalcy as they can. “We are ready for students to come back. We are excited. We will get through this,” said Ferguson.
The district said that after the flooding in July of 2024, its enrollment went down by about 15 students.
