ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 14 (Our New Mexico Times) — A New Mexico Department of Justice report says Gallup-McKinley County Schools uses out-of-school suspensions in a way that falls much harder on Native American and Hispanic students than on White students, cutting into class time and raising new questions about how the district disciplines children.
The report says the gap is not small. It finds Native American students lose about 8 to 10 times as many school days to out-of-school suspension as White students, and Hispanic students lose about 3 to 4 times as many days. In the 2024-25 school year, the report says the district suspended 1.6 out of every 100 White students, 5.9 out of every 100 Hispanic students, and 14.2 out of every 100 Native American students.
What is an out-of-school suspension?
An out-of-school suspension removes a student from class and sends them away from school for a set period. That means the student misses instruction, school support services and daily contact with teachers. In the Gallup-McKinley district, the report says those missed days are adding up unevenly, with Native American and Hispanic students taking the biggest hit.
What did the Justice Department find?
The report, released by the state Justice Department, says the district is among the harshest disciplinarians in New Mexico and that its students lose at least twice as many instructional days to out-of-school suspension as the state average.
It also says the pattern has lasted for years. According to the report, the racial disparities have persisted since at least the 2015-16 school year and have widened over time.
The department’s investigators said the difference in punishment is not explained by behavior alone. The report says Gallup-McKinley County Schools gives harsher consequences to Native American and Hispanic students than to White students for similar infractions.
Why does the report say this matters?
Because school discipline is not just a punishment issue. It is also an education issue.
When students are sent home, they lose class time, can fall behind on assignments and may have less access to counseling, tutoring and other supports. The report says the district’s discipline approach and weak recordkeeping can hide those inequities, making it harder for families, staff and officials to see the full picture.
The report also says the district’s policy gives decision-makers wide latitude to impose exclusionary punishment. In plain terms, that means school staff have broad power to remove students from school, and the rules do not clearly limit when that should happen.
What does the report say about district rules?
The New Mexico Department of Justice says the district does not have enough clear guidance on what counts as misconduct and what actions should lead to out-of-school suspension.
That matters because discipline systems can become uneven when school staff have too much discretion and not enough consistent standards. The report says poor recordkeeping makes it harder to track whether discipline is being applied fairly across racial groups.
What happens next?
The report calls on Gallup-McKinley County Schools to acknowledge the findings and work with the community to reduce its reliance on exclusionary discipline. It also calls on the New Mexico Public Education Department and state lawmakers to strengthen oversight of school discipline across New Mexico.
The district has said it is reviewing the report. In comments reported by Buffalo’s Fire, the district also pointed to work under Superintendent Jvanna Hanks, including an Equity Council with positions set aside for members of the Native American community.
How did this get investigated?
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez ordered the investigation in 2023 after earlier reporting by ProPublica and New Mexico In Depth on harsh discipline in the district. The state Justice Department says the investigation began in August 2023.
The report also says the problem was already known in public conversations before the investigation ended. It notes that national media had reported on punitive discipline in the district by late 2022.
Why is this especially important in Gallup-McKinley County Schools?
Because the district serves a large Native student population, the report’s findings have direct consequences for local Indigenous families and for education policy in New Mexico more broadly.
The core issue is simple: if a student is repeatedly suspended from school, that student is losing learning time. The Justice Department says that burden has fallen most heavily on Native American and Hispanic students in Gallup-McKinley County Schools, and that the pattern has continued for years.
