Latest news with #EspañolaPublicSchools
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teachers' union files complaint against NM school after questions about student's immigration status
ESPAÑOLA, N.M. (KRQE) – A local teachers' union wants to know why a New Mexico school district is asking students about their citizenship status. The union has now filed a complaint against the district, hoping to get more answers. 'We would like to prevent it from happening again,' said Mary Parr-Sánchez, President of the National Education Association of New Mexico (NEA-NM). Story continues below Entertainment: First-of-its-kind indoor pickleball facility coming to northeast Albuquerque Community: Albuquerque church leaning on faith after 2 members killed by their son Environment: What should New Mexicans do if they come across a raccoon? In an effort to prepare students for real-world jobs, Española Public Schools has used optional career-readiness programs that help connect students with potential future employers. One of those programs is a standardized test called the ACT WorkKeys Assessment. To take the test, students must provide personal information. 'Collecting demographic information on students is not out of the norm,' Parr-Sánchez said. 'Like, if they're male or female, how old they are, their ethnicity, that type of thing. That is normal demographic information.' What's not common are questions related to students' citizenship status. But, according to a group of teachers with Española Public Schools, as part of the assessment, the district directed teachers at Española Valley High School to ask students for their country of origin, and their 'alien registration number'. 'We were contacted by educators and their leadership from Española that Española Valley High School was asking teachers to collect immigration data,' Parr-Sánchez explained. According to Parr-Sánchez, a former teacher with 25 years of experience, and someone who's administered standardized tests, these types of questions raised concerns. As the current president of the NEA-NM, a local teachers' union, she's taken steps to figure out who sent the directive, and why, by filing a complaint with the state. The district has until June 2nd to formally respond. 'They were terrified to be asked to give private information about their students,' Parr-Sanchez said about the teachers who brought the incident to her attention. The union argues the incident goes against a bargain reached by the district and teachers' union, arguing the directive is out of educators' agreed-upon 'work conditions.' They also believe it violates FERPA, a federal law that protects student privacy. 'Our mission is to educate every child that comes to our schools regardless of their race, ethnicity, country of origin,' Parr-Sánchez added. Española Public Schools said they've started an investigation into the concerns and will take appropriate action if any violations are found. It's unclear who, or why the directive was sent out. The district sid they are unable to comment further, as the investigation takes place. NEA-NM provided KRQE News 13 with a quote from the ACT testing group, that states 'ACT does not ask for, or collect information about examinees immigration status… this is not a requirement for taking our exams and is not information we collect or use in any way.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Española schools face union complaint after directive to collect students' immigration information
One of New Mexico's largest teachers unions has accused Española Public Schools of violating its collective bargaining agreement by asking high school teachers to collect information on students' immigration status. In a complaint filed this week with the New Mexico Public Employees Relations Board, the National Education Association of New Mexico accuses Española High School of collecting immigration information about students registering for a standardized job-skills exam. The complaint asks the board to halt the practice, which it has done, said Mary Parr-Sánchez, president of NEA-New Mexico. The union also wants to meet with officials in good faith to negotiate any changes to working conditions. Parr-Sánchez said the union's "main purpose" in filing the complaint was to stop the practice and to prevent retaliation against educators who raised concerns about it. The complaint comes as the federal government continues to carry out President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda — a centerpiece of his campaign, his first few months in office and his 2026 federal budget proposal. The policy, combined with widespread reports and rumors of crackdowns by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has stoked fear in immigrant communities across the state and nation. Many Democrats in New Mexico — home to more than 200,000 immigrants, including some 10,000 children, according to data from the American Immigration Council — have resisted the federal push. The state's all-Democratic congressional delegation has vowed to support immigrants, and state lawmakers passed a bill to prohibit agencies from releasing certain information, particularly driver data, for federal immigration enforcement. Superintendent Eric Spencer, who is set to retire from the Española district June 30, declined to comment on the union's complaint, citing an active investigation. "I cannot share any information about the situation at this time," Spencer wrote in an email. In a letter sent to students and families in January, Spencer noted the district was monitoring immigration enforcement developments and consulting legal counsel, as well as seeking New Mexico Department of Justice guidance. "Please know that Espanola Public Schools does not collect any data regarding the immigration status of our students or their families," Spencer wrote. The state Department of Justice has issued advice to K-12 schools on responding to immigration-related issues. It notes school officials can establish policies restricting public access and should review enrollment and data collection practices to "safeguard against inadvertently discouraging immigrant children from enrolling in or attending school." "Although New Mexico cannot control the actions of federal immigration enforcement agencies, federal and New Mexico law empowers schools to welcome all students and to reassure them of their educational rights and opportunities," the guidance states. NEA-New Mexico's complaint alleges Española Valley High School teachers were directed to collect immigration status information from students, an effort Parr-Sánchez said was tied to a standardized test. Educators reported the direction to union leaders, who challenged the request, arguing it fell outside the scope of work defined in the district's collective bargaining agreement. "Classroom-level people just didn't feel right about doing it, and even scared. ... They rose up to defend the privacy of their students," Parr-Sánchez said. ACT WorkKeys letter The Española school board in a May 1 news release said the matter was connected to the ACT WorkKeys assessment, designed to evaluate test-takers' job skills. "Standard workforce eligibility questions" were communicated from school staff to students as "part of this assessment," the news release stated, noting the work-eligibility questions "are and will continue to be optional." But ACT doesn't ask for immigration status, according to a spokesperson. "The WorkKeys exam requests certain demographic information — including gender, primary reason for taking the test and whether the test taker is a student or adult," spokesperson Juan Elizondo wrote in an email. However, he added, "ACT does not ask for or collect information about examinees' immigration status. "We cannot speak to why any examinee would be asked about immigration status in connection with an ACT exam," Elizondo wrote. "This is not a requirement for taking our exams and is not information we collect or use in any way." Though Parr-Sánchez noted the school district has since rolled back citizenship data collection practices, NEA-New Mexico's complaint will move forward with the Public Employee Labor Relations Board. She hopes the incident will serve as an example for other school officials, she said. "We all have our own politics, right? As adults, we can choose our politics," Parr-Sánchez said. "But in this state, we try not to involve our students in those politics."
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Española schools voters approve property tax renewal
Española school district voters have approved the renewal of a supplemental property tax used to fund improvements at the district's schools. The Public School Capital Improvements Tax is a tax of $2 per $1,000 of net taxable property value to fund improvements for school buildings, pre-K facilities, educational technology and school grounds. In an all-mail election that concluded Tuesday, the measure received a combined total of 1,393 votes in favor and 1,191 against, which works out to almost 54% in favor, according to an email sent to the district's parents and guardians by Española Public Schools Superintendent Eric Spencer. 'The passage of this measure means that Española Public Schools and McCurdy Charter School will receive critical capital improvement funding over the next six years,' Spencer wrote. 'These funds are essential for addressing pressing infrastructure and safety needs, including technology for classrooms and libraries, maintenance and repairs to our aging facilities, equipment upgrades, and enhanced safety and security systems. Many of our schools are decades old and face challenges that impact the daily learning environment for our students and staff.' The election was conducted by the Santa Fe and Rio Arriba county clerks' offices, which handled the mailing, collection and processing of ballots. While Rio Arriba hasn't released its vote count, the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office reported receiving 428 ballots — 220 in favor, 184 against and 24 rejected ballots — of the 3,117 total ballots sent to Santa Fe County residents in the school district, according to a news release the county sent out Thursday. Ballots were due by 7 p.m. Tuesday, with the County Canvassing Board scheduled to meet April 8 to certify the results. The Santa Fe County Clerk's Office is also contacting those who submitted the 24 rejected ballots for the 'ballot curing' process to correct issues like lack of a signature or identification. The election was closer than is often seen in school bond or tax elections, which tend to garner broad support in Northern New Mexico. A school bond put to Española voters in November 2023 passed with 70% support, while taxes for the same $2 per $1,000 amount put to Santa Fe and Pojoaque Valley school district voters that same year passed with 77% and 70% support, respectively. 'We recognize that some members of our community voted against the measure, and we deeply respect the diversity of opinions across our district,' Spencer wrote. 'With that in mind, we reaffirm our commitment to using these funds transparently and responsibly, solely for their intended purposes. We will be accountable to the public and will ensure that every dollar is spent in support of our students' learning environments.' Regular updates on the usage of funds will be added to Spencer wrote.
