Superintendent challenges claims through program improvements
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
Attorney General Raúl Torrez released the New Mexico Department of Justice’s investigative report into student discipline practices at Gallup-McKinley County Schools July 2. The report found that the district relies on out-of-school suspensions at some of the highest rates in New Mexico, and that administrators discipline Native American and Hispanic students more frequently and more severely than their white peers.
The NMDOJ opened the investigation following community concerns and public reporting regarding the district’s discipline practices. To build the report, investigators analyzed several years of publicly available discipline data, reviewed district policies, examined complaints, and gathered testimony from educators, families, and community stakeholders.
Ultimately, the report concludes that GMCS students lose at least twice as many instructional days to out-of-school suspensions as the statewide average—despite committing similar types and rates of infractions as students in comparable New Mexico school districts. The data also exposed longstanding racial disparities in exclusionary disciplinary outcomes. Specifically, Native American students lose roughly eight to ten times as many instructional days to out-of-school suspension as white students, while Hispanic students lose three to four times as many.
“Every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn in a safe and supportive school environment,” Torrez stated in a press release. “Our investigation found that Gallup-McKinley County Schools relies too heavily on exclusionary discipline and that these practices disproportionately affect Native American and Hispanic students. The loss of instructional time has real consequences for academic success and future opportunity. This report is intended to provide a roadmap for reforms that promote accountability, fairness, and better outcomes for students.”
Beyond documenting these disparities, the report concludes that the district’s disciplinary policies grant broad discretion with limited guidance, which increases the risk of inconsistent outcomes. Investigators also identified shortcomings in data collection. To remedy this, the report recommends clearer disciplinary standards, expanded training, regular public reporting of discipline data, and stronger state oversight.
Despite these harsh findings, the report notes encouraging progress in recent years, including declines in expulsions and referrals to law enforcement. However, it emphasizes that the district must do additional work to reduce its excessive use of out-of-school suspensions and eliminate racial disparities.
This federal scrutiny aligns with local pressure. In March, the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission issued its own report calling on district leaders to adopt a new, culturally appropriate disciplinary system in light of these longstanding allegations.
GMCS Superintendent Jvanna Hanks II responded to the findings in a July 6 press release. In her statement, Hanks acknowledged that the report raises important concerns about exclusionary discipline, instructional time, and disparities among student groups.
As a newly appointed superintendent, Hanks noted that she is already working to improve the district on multiple fronts.
“This is a moment of transition and renewed focus for GMCS,” she stated. “As the new superintendent, I am committed to strengthening trust with families, improving consistency across schools, and ensuring that discipline practices support student learning, safety, and belonging.”
Since taking the helm, Hanks has implemented several new programs to actively encourage community input. During April, May, and June, GMCS hosted “listening tours” throughout the district to give residents a chance to ask questions and share opinions on promoting student success.
Additionally, in May, GMCS launched an Equity Council—a community advisory group tasked with guiding district decisions to better serve all students, especially those who have historically faced educational barriers. In the press release, Hanks noted that she and her team are specifically looking to recruit members from the Native American community to fill open positions on the council.
The GMCS School Board also recently approved a new Director of Community Engagement position and established the Indian Education Committee through Johnson O’Malley, a federally supported program that provides educational services and support for Native American students.
The roots of the AG’s investigation stem back to 2022, when a non-profit online publication published a series of articles claiming that GMCS was responsible for the majority of the state’s Native American student expulsions.
Before his retirement, former superintendent Mike Hyatt adamantly denied the news organization’s claims.
“The data is not accurate that’s being reported by this news agency, they know it’s not accurate, and they keep changing their story to try and fit this false narrative that they’ve been pushing,” he said in a 2023 Sun article.
In that same article, Hyatt broke down the district’s demographics, arguing that the high volume of Indigenous students enrolled in the district naturally skews the data. According to district records, GMCS had over 9,000 Native American students attending its schools in the 2020-2021 school year. Hyatt noted that at rural campuses such as Crownpoint High School and Tohatchi High School, the Native American population overwhelmingly outnumbers other demographics.
According to district records, the district had over 9,000 Native American students attending its schools in the 2020-2021 school year. Hyatt noted that in schools such as Crownpoint High School and Tohatchi High School, the Native American population greatly outnumbers other races.
For context, Crownpoint High enrolled 295 Native American students in the 2020-2021 school year, compared to only two Caucasian students and seven Asian students. Tohatchi High enrolled 265 Native American students, one African American student, and one Caucasian student during that same period.
Hanks shared updated figures in her recent press release, noting that current 120th-day enrollment numbers show GMCS now serves nearly 10,000 students overall, including over 7,000 Native American students and more than 1,400 Hispanic students.
In a recent interview with the Sun, GMCS School Board President Kevin Mitchell backed up Hyatt’s previous defense. He argued that the data can’t paint an accurate picture without factoring in that many rural GMCS schools have a nearly homogenous Native American student body.
Mitchell also suggested the numbers are skewed because the New Mexico Public Education Department and the AG fail to isolate repeat offenders. Because the PED system counts every individual suspension as a separate data point, Mitchell argues a single student facing severe behavioral issues who is suspended multiple times can artificially inflate the district’s overall percentages.
Furthermore, Mitchell noted that despite the recent listening tours, community members didn’t raise discipline as a primary concern.
“I did hear concerns, but not one time did I hear anyone complain about the discipline,” he said. “Nobody said ‘My child is being disciplined in a way they shouldn’t be.’”
Mitchell concluded by stating that while the district will continue to listen to the community and seek improvement, student safety remains their absolute priority.
“We try everything possible to ensure that our students are taken care of in the proper manner,” he said. “We want them to be in school, we want them to be educated. But we do have to ensure that safety is taken into consideration, and we have to follow policy.”
The AG’s full report is available on the NMDOJ’s website. To read more about the timeline that led to this investigation, visit the Sun’s website at gallupsunweekly.com.
