GALLUP, N.M. – A newly released report from the New Mexico Department of Justice says Gallup-McKinley County Schools has relied too heavily on out-ofschool suspensions and has disciplined Native American and Hispanic students more often and more harshly than their White peers, findings that place one of New Mexico’s largest majority-Native districts under renewed scrutiny.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced the report July 2, saying the investigation found GMCS students lose at least twice as many instructional days to out-ofschool suspensions as the statewide average, even though student infractions are similar to those seen in comparable districts. The report also found longstanding racial disparities, including that Native American students lose roughly eight to 10 times as many instructional days to out-of-school suspension as White students, while Hispanic students lose three to four times as many.
“Forced Out” The investigation began after community concerns and public reporting about discipline in the district.
According to the report, the Department of Justice reviewed several years of public discipline data, district policies, complaints and input from educators, families and community stakeholders. It concluded that GMCS imposes some of the highest rates of exclusionary discipline in New Mexico and that the district’s policies give administrators broad discretion with limited guidance, raising the risk of inconsistent outcomes The report also says those practices carry serious consequences for students.
Beyond missed classroom time, investigators wrote that exclusionary discipline can deepen academic struggles, social isolation and longer-term harm, especially when students are repeatedly removed from school. The report further found that for similar infractions, Native American and Hispanic students often received harsher consequences than White students, suggesting the disparities cannot be explained away simply by differences in student behavior.
At the same time, the Department of Justice noted some signs of progress.
The report says district data reflect declines in expulsions and referrals to law enforcement in recent years, though investigators cautioned that more work is needed to reduce out-ofschool suspensions and eliminate racial disparities The state report is unsparing in parts.
Investigators found that GMCS suspended between 5.7% and 7.4% of its students in the years reviewed in PED data, compared with lower statewide averages, and found that Native American and Hispanic students were consistently suspended at higher rates than White students.
The report also criticized data problems, saying inaccurate district-level discipline data can deprive the community of transparency and make it harder for GMCS and state agencies to identify and address inequities Investigators recommended that GMCS revise its discipline policies to create clearer offense categories and more defined ranges of consequences, provide additional training for administrators and teachers, expand restorative approaches, and improve data collection and auditing. The report also recommended stronger state oversight and more regular public reporting of discipline data In response, GMCS Superintendent Jvanna Hanks said the district appreciates the time the New Mexico Department of Justice devoted to reviewing student discipline practices and said the report raises important concerns about exclusionary discipline, instructional time and disparities among student groups. She said the district is carefully reviewing the findings and recommendations.
GMCS Sees Challenge as Transition
Hanks described the moment as one of transition and renewed focus for GMCS.
She said the district is committed to strengthening trust with families, improving consistency across schools and ensuring discipline practices support student learning, safety and belonging.
She also pointed to steps the district says it has already taken, including a community listening tour, creation of a new Equity Council with positions specifically designated for members of the Native American community, board approval for a Director of Community Engagement, and the establishment of the Indian Education Committee through Johnson O’Malley. Hanks said those efforts are intended to elevate community voices and improve educational services and support for Native American students.
The superintendent also emphasized the scale and demographics of the district, saying GMCS currently serves 9,789 students overall, including 7,481 Native American students and 1,401 Hispanic students. She said those numbers reinforce the importance of culturally responsive, community-informed student support and the need for families, students, staff and community partners to be part of the work moving forward.
“Our focus is clear: students should be in school, supported in school and treated fairly in school,” Hanks said. “We will use community feedback, along with the findings in the report, to strengthen discipline practices, improve consistency across schools and continue building a more student-centered system.”
For Gallup-McKinley, the report adds to a period of unusual turbulence.
The district has already been at the center of major controversy over its virtual education dispute with Stride/K12 and the state funding fight that followed. Now, with new leadership and a sweeping state report focused on student discipline, the district faces another test - this time over whether it can show measurable change in how students are treated inside its schools.