Starting August 5, tribal communities can provide input into New Mexico’s education action plan, which will guide the future of our children. The court has ordered the State to finally comply with the 2018 Yazzie/Martinez ruling. New Mexico’s Public Education Department (PED) must now develop a court-ordered remedial action plan to address the needs and rights of “at risk” students, including Native students.

Tribal Nations developed a comprehensive education plan many years ago. The Tribal Remedy Framework (TRF) was created in a series of convenings held in all tribal communities after the 2018 court ruling. Many of you also participated in annual Community Institutes to update and refine those recommendations. The State never organized a similar process, nor was it ready to implement the TRF. But the recent court order has changed this. PED has now invited communities to participate in a series of regional meetings to help shape their plan. This includes four tribally focused meetings (marked in red):

August 5: Farmington (Sycamore Park Community Center, 1051 Sycamore Street); Española (Northern New Mexico College Cafeteria, 921 Paseo De Onate); Las Cruces

August 6: Raton

August 7: Santa Fe (The Lodge at Santa Fe); Mescalero (Inn of the Mountain Gods); Clovis

August 14: Silver City; Zuni (Zuni Wellness Center, 31 Pincion St. Zuni Pueblo); Carlsbad

August 20: Albuquerque (Embassy Suites)

August 26: Virtual Community Meeting

All meetings will run from 4pm to 7pm. Meetings are free and offer childcare, meals, and translation where needed.

To speak out for Native children, please come and make your voices heard!

This is a critical moment for tribal communities, families, and students to have our say. By demanding equity and justice in education, we can transform the education system that has failed Native children.

Let’s create the change we need for our children and communities to thrive!