In partnership with New Mexico In Depth and McKinley Community Health Alliance.

In December, ProPublica and New Mexico In Depth published an investigation into the harsh discipline of Native American students in Gallup-McKinley County Schools. The news organizations found that Native students in New Mexico are expelled far more often than members of any other group and at least four times as often as white students. Gallup-McKinley County Schools is responsible for most of that disparity.

The Gallup-McKinley County Schools superintendent disputed the news outlets’ findings. He asserted that a much smaller number of students had been expelled, although that is contradicted by the district’s reports to the state and to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

In national studies, punishments that remove students from school have been found to set them back academically and to increase their risks of dropping out or winding up in the criminal justice system.

Despite being under a court order to remedy racial inequities, particularly for Native Americans and students learning English as a second language, discipline practices in New Mexico public schools have gone largely unexamined.

Residents of Gallup and McKinley County are invited to join us for an in-person community dialogue and presentation of the news outlets’ findings. Reporter Bryant Furlow will share a presentation that reviews:

• How the news outlets’ analysis of state discipline data shows a higher rate of expulsions for Native American students statewide, which is driven in large part by Gallup-McKinley County Schools.
• How oversight of school discipline is shared between the state and school districts.
• The school discipline process in New Mexico and Gallup-McKinley County Schools.

After the presentation, the event will be turned over to the McKinley Community Health Alliance, which will lead a community dialogue to unpack the findings, discuss the district’s discipline process and student rights, hear current and former students’ experiences with discipline, and talk about what community members can do to address these disparities.

Lunch will be served for the first arrivals.

Doors will open at 12 p.m. Mountain time, and the presentation will begin at 12:30 p.m. Event capacity is limited and attendees will be accommodated on a first come-first served basis.

Navajo interpreters will be present.

This event will take place in conference room SSTC-200 in the Student Services Building. Attendees should use the UNM-Gallup Parking Lot G2 & G3 in front of Gurley Hall and Student Services.

Need an accommodation to make our event accessible? Email us at [email protected].

This event has ended.