Navajo Nation report cites discrimination against Navajo students in Gallup-McKinley schools

A report by the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission describes harsh discipline discriminatory practices and a climate of fear and retaliation affecting Navajo students in the Gallup-McKinley County Schools district, according to New Mexico In Depth. The 25-page report draws on testimony from parents, students and community members at four public hearings held in Navajo Nation communities within the district. The commission urged the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office to release findings from its investigation into the district’s discipline of Indigenous students.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed the investigation is complete and identified “troubling disciplinary practices,” according to New Mexico In Depth. Chief of Staff Lauren Rodriguez said the agency’s investigation recommends that the New Mexico Public Education Department strengthen student discipline, data reporting and oversight. The report also calls for a formal agreement between the Navajo Nation and the district to adopt restorative justice-focused discipline policies.