Yazzie-Martinez

The plaintiffs in a landmark equity education lawsuit are headed back to court Tuesday because they say the State of New Mexico has not complied with court orders.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s first public safety town hall is tonight in Las Cruces. While some members of the public are seemingly unaware of the community discussion, community organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, plan to attend.

A judge heard arguments on Friday on whether a high-profile environmental lawsuit brought on by the Center of Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians and several frontline Native American communities should go to trial.

New Mexico has a diverse population with almost 46,000 students participating in Bilingual programs. The goal is to ensure all students learn English as well as their native language and meet academic standards. However, a legislative report says schools may not be hitting those marks.

Members of the Legislative Education Study Committee told lawmakers this week they should take a closer look at suspension and expulsion rates for special education students, especially in light of huge increases in behavioral health issues.

In tribal communities, libraries offer many important services for residents. They’re funded by the Indian Education Act, or IEA, and grants, but they often don’t know how much money they will get each year. Mo Charnot with the Santa Fe Reporter recently reported how some lawmakers are looking to change that.

Albuquerque Public Schools has released a 5-year strategic plan for improving student outcomes. The district says over 2,000 students, staff and community members weighed in on the document and it’s the first time its administration and school board have collaborated in this way. Several of the goals focus in on the state’s most underserved students identified in the Yazzie-Martinez ruling.

The 2023 Institute of American Indian Education (IAIE) is hosting a summit to give an update ahead of the five year anniversary of the Yazzie-Martinez v. State of New Mexico ruling.

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.

We’re at the halfway point of the session, this time talking with reporter Shaun Griswold from Source New Mexico on #YNMG. Source NM has had journalists at the Roundhouse throughout the session watching crime, energy, pandemic relief, and more. Griswold has covered different areas too, but focused on education. We’ll get caught up on the ed bills in front of the legislature and some of the other stories coming from Source NM. Have a listen.