PED Secretary Talks Yazzie-Martinez Response, Chronic Absenteeism & School Counselors Assess the Student Experience

New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

Senior Producer Lou DiVizio opens the show with some headlines from around the state, including news that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has quietly shuttered the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Task Force, as reported by Bella Davis at New Mexico In Depth.

Then, we turn our attention to three education issues we’ve been following closely in recent weeks and months, beginning with the state’s response to the court ruling in the seminal Yazzie-Martinez case. Senior Producer Lou DiVizio speaks with Public Education Secretary Dr. Arsenio Romero about the state’s position on Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s desire to take over litigation in the case and what progress his department has made to create a more equitable learning environment for all students in our state.

Chronic absenteeism has long been present in New Mexico’s rollcall of school problems. The rate ticked down in the most recently completed school year, but it’s more than doubled since 2019. KUNM’s Megan Kamerick hosts a special roundtable to talk about what the state is doing to get more students to show up to school and whether it’s effective.

COVID, remote learning, returning to school and concerns about safety are all major challenges that have snowballed for students in recent years. Executive Producer Jeff Proctor speaks with two school counselors about the unique hurdles students are confronting and how they’ve impacted their mental health and coursework.

Host: Lou DiVizio

Segments:

PED Cabinet Secretary on the State’s Response to Yazzie-Martinez Ruling
Correspondent: Lou DiVizio
Guest: Dr. Arsenio Romero, cabinet secretary, NM Public Education Department

Addressing Chronic Absenteeism in NM Schools

Correspondent: Megan Kamerick
Guests:

Leslie Kelly, behavioral health coordinator, NM Public Education Department

Teri Wimborne, director of collective impact, United Way of Central New Mexico

Estevan Gallegos, juvenile probation officer supervisor, CYFD

School Counselors Assess the Student Experience in 2023

Correspondent: Jeff Proctor
Guests:

Bryan Gabaldon, school counselor, Highland High School

Devon Shelton, school counselor, Alameda Elementary School

For More Information: New Mexico AG says he’s going after school discipline and Yazzie-Martinez to protect children – New Mexico In Depth

Millions of kids are missing weeks of school as attendance tanks across the US – The Associated Press Let's talk about the youth mental health crisis – KUNM