NMDOJ report finds unequal discipline robs GMCS students of class time
State investigators say GMCS students lose twice the class time of the statewide average, with Native American students hit 8 to 10 times harder than white peers.
The New Mexico Department of Justice found that Gallup-McKinley County Schools students are losing at least twice as many instructional days to out-of-school suspensions as the statewide average, with Native American students bearing the heaviest losses.
The department released its report, Forced Out: How Exclusionary and Disparate Disciplinary Practices at Gallup-McKinley County Schools Rob Students of Instructional Time, on July 2 after opening the investigation because of community concerns and prior public reporting about the district’s discipline practices. The review drew on several years of discipline data, district policies, complaints and input from educators, families and other stakeholders. Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the report a roadmap for reform, not just criticism.
The findings point to a discipline system that punishes students unevenly. Native American students in GMCS lose roughly eight to 10 times as many instructional days to out-of-school suspension as white students, while Hispanic students lose about three to four times as many. The district relies on suspension at some of the highest rates in New Mexico.
Investigators also faulted the district’s policies for giving staff broad discretion with limited guidance, a setup that can lead to inconsistent outcomes. Investigators flagged weaknesses in how the district collects data and called for clearer discipline standards, more training, regular public reporting of discipline numbers and stronger state oversight. They also found fewer expulsions and fewer referrals to law enforcement in recent years.
In March, the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission issued a 25-page report after four public hearings in Navajo Nation communities inside the school district, describing harsh discipline of Navajo students, pervasive discrimination and a climate of fear and retaliation. Gallup-McKinley County Schools has the largest Indigenous student body of any local school district in the country. In March, the Justice Department's long-running investigation found troubling disciplinary practices and raised the possibility that state law may not clearly let the office pursue formal legal action against the district.
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