Taylor Velazquez

In New Mexico, one in five children face hunger, making the state second in the nation for food insecurity in youth. That’s coupled with the fact that the state has seen persistent dismal education rankings and outcomes for students. However, this week/recently the federal government unveiled new grants and funding to bolster our children’s health so they can perform well in school.

It’s the final week of the legislative session and numerous bills are making their rounds, including one to address period poverty by getting free period products into all public schools. Supporters say the issue directly affects the ability of young people to consistently access education.

In 2018, a judge ruled in the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit that New Mexico was failing to provide an equitable education to students who are low-income, Native American, have disabilities or are English language learners. This means that the state is in direct violation of the education clause in the New Mexico State Constitution.

New Mexico’s long standing education challenges were made worse in the COVID-19 pandemic as chronic absenteeism soared. Forty percent of kids missed at least 10 days of school during the last academic year and some districts saw that rise to 66%. Lawmakers want to address these issues by adding additional learning hours, but some teachers say that could increase burnout.

As we approach the three-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic, New Mexico alone has reported just over 9,000 deaths. A local non-profit group, Marked by COVID, is at the Roundhouse this session to advocate for people who are grieving or need support as survivors.

Teacher shortages were made especially acute by the pandemic. Last year Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham even turned to the National Guard for substitute teachers to fill vacancies around the state. Many educators have called it quits including who is now in New Mexico’s newest industry: cannabis.

A bill that would make it a crime to negligently store a firearm so that it’s accessible to a minor has passed the state House of Representatives.

Nationally, 1 in 5 teens cannot afford menstrual products and most have missed school as a result. To address the issue in New Mexico, youth advocates are working with lawmakers to create menstrual equity for every student in public school.

New Mexico has struggled with education rankings, and critics say charter schools have contributed to the problem. On this week's Let's Talk New Mexico we’ll look at current standards for charter schools and we'll hear firsthand from advocates, public officials, and school staff about the strengths and weaknesses of the charter school system.

Three New Mexico counties — San Juan, Union, and Guadalupe — have high community levels of COVID-19, five less than the previous week according to the latest CDC data that accounts for hospitalization and case rates. But data on just the spread of the virus by itself shows nearly all of the state is bright red, indicating high transmission rates.