In July of 2018, a judge ruled that the State of New Mexico was out of compliance with the education clause within the state’s constitution. The case is still playing out, with a court hearing scheduled for later this month. Ahead of the hearing, local advocacy organizations held a town hall to address the state of education equity in New Mexico.
In the case of Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico, the late Judge Sarah Singleton ruled that the state must take action to support at-risk groups, including Native American students, students with disabilities and students from low-income families.
During Wednesday’s virtual town hall, Wilhelmina Yazzie, one of the plaintiffs, said she hopes for a future educational system where children of all cultural backgrounds are respected.
“We want to see ourselves valued, our spaces valued,” she said. “We have to be inclusive, inclusive of all our stakeholders, our parents [and] families. Our children’s perspectives need to be heard.”
But nearly seven years after the ruling, the state has fallen short of its obligations according to Melissa Candelaria, education director for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, an organization representing Yazzie in the case.
“Our students are still waiting for justice. Our schools are still in crisis, and it’s not because of our students or their parents or teachers. But it’s because the system, the system hasn’t been fixed.”
The upcoming court hearing is scheduled for April 29. KRWG Public Media did reach out to the New Mexico Public Education Department for a statement regarding the upcoming court hearing, although did not hear back before the publication of this story.