SENATE MEMORIAL 62

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2013

INTRODUCED BY

Linda M. Lopez

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING NEW MEXICANS TO ESTABLISH, RESPECT AND HONOR A STUDENT BILL OF RIGHTS.

     WHEREAS, students have the right to a learning environment in which discrimination in all forms is not tolerated by the administration, school security or students, and in which students are encouraged to participate in antidiscrimination and cultural proficiency training that promotes principles of equality, engages students in a culturally sensitive manner and supports a culturally sensitive curriculum; and
    WHEREAS, students have the right to extracurricular and after-school programs and the means and support to access them and to be able to request to form new clubs that fit their interests because these programs and activities are important mechanisms through which students prepare for life after high school, including improving their ability to access higher education and otherwise develop their minds, talents and perspectives; and

     WHEREAS, students have the right to information, resources and support to prepare them for life after high school and should be encouraged to pursue higher education and not be discouraged based on any discriminatory factors so that students who choose to pursue college have access to college readiness counselors to assist them in their transition into higher education, and students who choose to enter the work force should be prepared, through information, training and job placement assistance, to make that transition; and

     WHEREAS, students have the right to equitable school and classroom environments, in which classroom sizes are small and buildings and materials are in good condition; in which creative approaches to teaching are encouraged; in which respect and open communication among parents, teachers, community organizations and students are encouraged; in which building strong intergenerational relationships is valued; and in which schools are fully funded in order to achieve these goals; and

     WHEREAS, students have the right to affordable and nutritious food in the school environment because proper nutrition is essential to the development of physical, emotional and intellectual well-being; and
     WHEREAS, students have the right to bilingual education and bilingual after-school programs, to integrated multilingual classrooms and to speak any language while in school so that they can become fluent speakers and thinkers in the languages important to their development as fully rounded human beings who are able to excel in their cultural, familial and economic environments; and
     WHEREAS, students have the right to a learning environment that is free of cruel and unusual punishment, including the use of excessive force by security; have the rights to freedom of speech and of the press; and have the right to petition and peacefully assemble with the purpose of improving the school, classroom and learning environments; and

     WHEREAS, students have the right to due process, to be considered innocent until proven guilty and to be free of searches of personal property by security, administration or staff without reasonable cause and to have their parents notified if such searches occur; and
     WHEREAS, students have the right to schools that seek alternatives to police presence, that are free of immigration enforcement, that are free from the criminalization of youth, that seek alternatives to suspension and expulsion policies and in which students are given a clean slate each year; and

     WHEREAS, students have the right to access violence- and gang-prevention, peer-based mediation and intervention programs on campus; and
     WHEREAS, students have the right and the opportunity to organize themselves and be represented by their peers in important school decision-making processes; and
     WHEREAS, students have the right to self-representation in district meetings, whether through a committee or a self-started group, without being tokenized or dismissed due to their youth, and they have the right to notification of district and staff meeting times and places and to organize collectively when issues arise that affect the entire student body; and

     WHEREAS, students have the right to be afforded space to dialogue safely about aspects of their learning experience and to understand how the school budget works and is allocated; and      WHEREAS, students have the right to access a copy of the student bill of rights and to seek to amend this document when necessary such that when concluded, those amendments will improve the learning environment;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that New Mexicans be requested to establish, respect and honor a student bill of rights; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislative education study committee, in consultation with the public education department, be requested to convene a task force of students and student advocates to perform a yearly examination of the student bill of rights and make recommendations for legislation that will help to realize the aspirations articulated in the bill of rights; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the director of the legislative education study committee and the secretary of public education.

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