Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Growing number of NM schools pursue restorative justice to keep kids in schools

    More New Mexico schools are adopting restorative justice as an approach to discipline, which encourages students to reflect on their actions through mediation and structured communication. Since instituting “talking circles” to help resolve conflict, Cuba Independent Schools, which serves a large Indigenous population, has seen fights decrease and attendance rates improve.

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  • Albuquerque's vision for non-police first responders comes down to earth

    In response to the 2020 policing protests, Albuquerque was among the first cities to embrace a major change in handling mental-health-crisis calls to 911. But its new Community Safety Department has foundered in its first year, a victim of inadequate planning and resources. The plan to send unarmed first responders on such calls, to reduce the risk of a violent over-reaction by the police, depended on reassigning city workers from other agencies, none of whom were mental health professionals. City councilors have sent the planners back to rethink the latest in a history of failed responses.

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  • Local farms, small gardens see boost in interest, funding to tackle hunger

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations and government agencies are connecting farmers with people in need by making fruits and vegetables more affordable or even free. For example, Bueno Para Todos, a small farm in New Mexico, has planted new fruit trees alongside a vegetable garden, and allows people to pick what they want and pay how they can, either with money or by helping on the farm. Scaling these efforts can be difficult if communities want to encourage growing more local food.

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  • Schools revamp meal programs during COVID-19 to curb childhood hunger, with potential to fix long-term problems

    Administrators at Mora Independent School District have discovered that the best way to help keep their students fed during the coronavirus pandemic is to offer as many flexible options as possible. The schools have mailed meals, as well as delivering them via school buses, and offered in-school pick-up. Before closing schools, only 100 families received meals, and that number has now increased to 400 families, and schools all over New Mexico want longer-term solutions. They've now incorporated libraries and community centers to expand food accessibility.

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  • Mutual aid groups rushed to the rescue during COVID-19

    Mutual aid groups in New Mexico are packing and delivering groceries and other staples to New Mexicans in need during the pandemic who have not been adequately served by existing social safety nets. Groups like Albuquerque Mutual Aid, McKinley Mutual Aid, and Santa Fe Mutual Aid Network accept cash donations and donated goods. Volunteers then distribute the goods to people whose immigration status, health risks, or lack of transportation block them from receiving traditional government aid. The groups are planning to coordinate their work to be more efficient so they can continue after the immediate crisis.

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  • Using tech and circuit riding to beat the pandemic

    The Cuba Independent School District in northern New Mexico has deployed a fleet of school buses to deliver food and school kits to students from its districts. Bus drivers reach rural areas of Sandoval County and help over 500 students complete their lessons. The district also distributed USB bracelets so students can download their lessons when they reach a wi-fi hotspot and later access school content without the need for an internet connection.

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  • Childcare centers see low COVID-19 transmission

    Although the pandemic has brought on its own unique challenges, childcare centers in New Mexico have developed safe and effective techniques to keep children and workers safe. At the UNM Children's campus, children are limited to small groups, which reduces the risk of transmission if anyone tests positive. Other centers have implemented multiple screening levels during a child's arrival, before joining their groups. “Masks are not a political issue for 3 and 4-year-olds. Nor are they a threat to their freedom or anything else," said Kathrine Freeman, director of Santa Fe’s United Way Early Learning Center.

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  • NM jail populations plummet amid joint efforts to avoid COVID-19 outbreak; positive test rates are low

    New Mexico criminal justice officials joined forces to lower local jail populations by one-third in just 11 weeks, a rushed COVID-19 response that not only seems to have prevented widespread illness but also led law enforcement officials to question whether they need to lock up so many people in the future. Prosecutors, police, and county jails arrested fewer people, released low-risk inmates, and suspended “warrant sweeps” and jailing people for technical probation and parole violations. With 27 jails less than half-full, a top prosecutor acknowledged the virus response may turn into standard practice.

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  • Welcome to Spanish Week: The promise of dual language education

    A school district in New Mexico is finding success with a dual language education program. A regular school day for an elementary school student in a Gadsen school district school might entail reviewing their math or history in Spanish or English, depending on the assigned language that week. “Our bilingual programs are not just for English learners, they’re for all of our students," Mayra Valtierrez, the director of language and culture at the New Mexico Public Education Department, said. "That’s something that’s unique to our state."

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  • NMSU works to recruit, train needed bilingual teachers

    Although many students in New Mexico enter kindergarten speaking two languages, a lack of bilingual and dual language classrooms means students often have trouble maintaining their Spanish or that English Language Learners don't receive appropriate instruction. New Mexico State University and Las Cruces Public Schools are working to break this cycle and recruit and train more bilingual teachers by offering degree programs and incentives and extra resources to teachers who choose this path.

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