At the private Escuela del Sol Montessori, a student sits reading in a large classroom, right next to a portable air filtration system installed specifically to pull COVID-19 out of the classroom air.

Using existing technology like filtration and ventilation, it is possible to reduce the amount of coronavirus aerosols in the air in our schools, workplaces and indoor public spaces. New Mexico requires local schools to install the best possible filters to accomplish that, and the federal government has allocated millions of dollars in pandemic relief to pay for filters and upgrades.

But Source New Mexico’s reporting raises questions about which schools have actually installed the technology, and shows that state officials have not done any systematic review to determine if schools are following those requirements.

At the end of his presentation during the last COVID-19 news conference held by the New Mexico Department of Health on March 11, acting Health Secretary David Scrase echoed the popular narrative that “we have the tools,” and we no longer needed public health protections like universal masking.

“As we continue to learn how to fight the virus and be prepared for future wave, we need to use the tools we have,” Scrase said, talking about vaccines and antiviral treatments.

The phrase appears repeatedly in the White House National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan published in March.

“We have the tools we need to move forward safely and return to more normal routines,” President Joe Biden wrote in early April.

But are we really using all of the tools at our disposal to reduce the amount of sickness and death from COVID-19 in New Mexico schools? This series seeks to find out.