Public Square; 407; Incarceration or Graduation?

FUNDING FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PUBLIC SQUARE PROVIDED BY THE W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION, WORKING TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN. >> THIS PROGRAM IS PART OF MAKE IT HAPPEN. A PUBLIC MEDIA INITIATIVE MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. >> WE LOOK AT 3rd GRADE TEST SCORES TO PREDICT HOW MANY PRISON BEDS WE NEED. >> YOU KNOW, ONE SUSPENSION, TWO SUSPENSIONS IS A GUARANTEE THAT THAT CHILD IS GOING TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOL, IS A GUARANTEE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO END UP IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. >> YOU PUT POLICE IN SCHOOLS, THEY'RE A HAMMER. AND IF THE ONLY TOOL YOU HAVE IS A HAMMER, THEN EVERYTHING ELSE BECOMES A NAIL. >> WE TEND TO BLAME THE STUDENT, BLAME THE FAMILY, INSTEAD OF LOOKING INWARDLY AT THE SYSTEM AND WHAT THE SYSTEM NEEDS TO DO. >> OUR WORLD IS DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, WHEN MY PARENTS WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL.

YET OUR SCHOOLS ARE THE SAME THAT THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN. >> WE CAN ALL THROW MONEY AT THIS, WE CAN CREATE ALTERNATIVES. BUT IF WE'RE NOT EMPOWERING OUR YOUTH TO CHANGE THE WAY THEY PERCEIVE THEMSELVES REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY'RE FROM, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE WASTING SOME TIME. >> THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE. WE HAVE TO ADDRESS IT. AND IT'S BEEN FAR IGNORED FOR WAY TOO LONG. >> WELCOME TO PUBLIC SQUARE, WHERE CIVIC DIALOGUE TAKES CENTER STAGE. >> THAT HAPPENS BECAUSE OF THE INSTITUTIONS THAT EFFECT THEM AND THE WAY PEOPLE TREAT THEM. >> PLUS A LOT OF IT COMES FROM HOME LIFE. >> THE UNITED STATES IS KNOWN FOR ITS EXTREMELY HIGH RATE OF INCARCERATION, AND SADLY THE TREND CARRIES OVER TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY. HOW CAN WE CHANGE THIS REALITY? >> KIDS IN PRESCHOOL AND HEAD START PROGRAMS IN NEW MEXICO, ALL THE WAY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, ARE BEING OF SUSPENDED FOR SKILL DEFICITS. >> THE PROBLEM USUALLY STARTS IN OUR SCHOOLS, AND THEY'RE KEY TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE. MANY EXPERTS BLAME ZERO TOLERANCE POLICIES.

THESE TEND TO REQUIRE SUSPENSION OR EXPULSION FOR THE VERY FIRST OFFENSE FOR A VARIETY OF BEHAVIORS. ALSO, MANY SCHOOLS NOW HAVE HANDLING ISSUES RATHER THAN SCHOOL PERSONNEL. THE COSTS ARE HIGH. NATIONWIDE, WE PAY UPWARDS OF $8.2 BILLION EACH YEAR TO CONFINE YOUNG PEOPLE. IN 2014 IN BERNALILLO COUNTY ALONE, WE SPENT $4.7 MILLION ON JUVENILE CONFINEMENT. AND THEN THERE ARE THE RESULTING COSTS OF FEWER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO WILL EARN LESS, POSSIBLY COMMIT CRIMES, AND RELY MORE ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS. JUVENILE INCARCERATION RATES ARE DROPPING, AND SCHOOLS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE INCREASINGLY TRYING TO HELP STUDENTS BY LOOKING AT THE CAUSES OF BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS. >> HE GRABBED ME AND PUT ME IN HANDCUFFS. >> BUT THERE'S STILL MUCH TO BE DONE. SO HOW CAN WE ENSURE THESE IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE? >> I JUST GOT INTO A REALLY BAD PLACE WHERE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT. >> TONIGHT WE'LL HEAR FROM

STUDENTS AS WELL AS ADVOCATES, JUVENILE JUSTICE OFFICIALS, AND EDUCATION EXPERTS. THEN WE'LL TALK SOLUTIONS WITH JOSEPH ESCOBEDO OF ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, TONNA BURGOS OF RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND CHILDREN'S COURT JUDGE JOHN ROMERO. >> WHAT YOU DID IS NOT WHO YOU ARE, AND YOU MADE A MISTAKE, BUT THAT SHOULDN'T CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER. >> THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BRILLIANT, THEY'RE INTELLIGENT, THEY'RE PASSIONATE, AND INSTEAD OF CREATING OPPORTUNITIES AND SPACES FOR THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE TO THRIVE, WE ARE LOCKING THEM UP IN CELLS. >> THE NEED FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE SCHOOLS IS VERY IMPORTANT, BUT WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE TRADITIONAL RESPONSE THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT TAKES WITH STUDENTS INVOLVED IN VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE A FIRST RESPONSE INTO INCARCERATION OR REFERRAL BY THE COURT. >> WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS SO THAT WE GET POSITIVE OUTCOMES AND

NOT YOUTH WHO CONTINUE INTO THE ADULT SYSTEM, WHICH DOESN'T HELP ANYBODY. >> I FEEL LIKE WE'VE GOT THE POWER TO CHANGE, AND THAT'S WHY I'M HERE, IS BECAUSE I WANT TO GET MY VOICE HEARD AND HAVE OTHER YOUTH HEAR ME AND MAYBE FOLLOW ME IN MY STEPS. >> THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US ON PUBLIC SQUARE TO TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE. AND ALYSSA, I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH YOU. >> I WAS SUSPENDED WHILE I WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I WAS SUSPENDED A LOT OF TIMES THROUGHOUT MY HIGH SCHOOL AND THROUGHOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL. FOR EACH YEAR OF MY MIDDLE SCHOOL, I GOT IN ONE FIGHT AT LEAST, AND IT WAS BECAUSE OF MY SEXUAL ORIENTATION. LIKE, THEY WOULD JUST COME UP TO ME AND MAKE FUN OF MEAN, AND I HELD IT IN SO LONG. I TOLD THEM, I WAS LIKE, STOP, LEAVE ME ALONE. AND NO TEACHER EVER DID

ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SO IT FELT LIKE I HAD TO TAKE THE PROBLEM INTO MY HANDS BY FIGHTING, AND I NEVER -- ME, I'M NOT A FIGHTER. I DON'T LIKE FIGHTING. THAT'S NOT THE WAY I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT ENDING A CONFLICT. BUT THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THAT I FELT THAT ENDED A CONFLICT WHILE I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, WAS FIGHTING. I GOT EXPELLED FROM SANDIA BECAUSE OF AN ARGUMENT, AND THAT THEY TOLD ME AND THE OTHER PERSON THAT IF YOU GUYS DO THIS AGAIN, YOU'RE BOTH GOING TO GET EXPELLED, BUT THE ONLY PERSON THAT GOT EXPELLED WAS ME. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT BEING KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL AND BEING ONE OF, LIKE, THE FIRST PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY TO ACTUALLY BE KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL. I STARTED GOING TO PARTIES, I STARTED DOING DRUGS, AND I JUST GOT INTO A REALLY BAD PLACE WHERE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT. SO ANGER BUILT UP WITHIN MYSELF, AND I ACTUALLY JUST

GOT CHARGED WITH A FELONY AND TWO, LIKE, MISDEMEANORS, AND I WENT TO JAIL FOR ABOUT TEN DAYS. EVENTUALLY I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO GO AND GO TO ANOTHER FACILITY, OR JUST TAKE MY COMMITMENT, AND I TOOK MY COMMITMENT. I COULD GO IN THERE, DO MY TIME, GET OUT, AND JUST, LIKE, FEEL LIKE THE SLATE WAS WIPED CLEAN. >> YOU HAD TO TRY TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER THAT AND GET YOUR HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE. THAT DIDN'T REALLY WORK OUT. >> IT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME. I WAS ATTENDING VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL, AND AT THE TIME I WAS ACTUALLY IN A GROUP HOME, AND THE GROUP HOME DIDN'T ALLOW YOU TO GO AND GET ON THE COMPUTER, HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, HAVE ACCESS TO ANYTHING. SO I TOLD MY TEACHER, WELL, I CAN'T TYPE THIS PAPER BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER, AND HE DIDN'T HAVE NO CONSIDERATION. HE COUNTED IT AS NOTHING, AS

A ZERO. AND I WAS SO, LIKE, HURT BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, I TOOK ALL THIS TIME TO WRITE IT OUT, AND NOW I CAN'T TYPE IT AND YOU'RE GOING TO COUNT IT AS A ZERO, AND THAT DROPS MY GRADE. THAT'S WHEN HE TOLD ME, WELL, MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST GET YOUR GED IF YOU CAN'T DO SCHOOL. >> SO YOU'RE WORKING ON YOUR GED NOW? >> YEAH. >> ARE YOU OKAY WITH THAT? >> NO, HONESTLY. I WANTED -- THAT'S THE ONLY REASON WHY WHEN I GOT OUT OF DOING MY COMMITMENT THAT I WANTED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL, WANTED TO GRADUATE. I ACTUALLY WANTED TO WALK WITH MY CLASS, AND GO TO PROM, AND DO THINGS THAT HIGH SCHOOLERS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO, BECAUSE I NEVER GOT THAT HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE BECAUSE I WAS ALWAYS LOCKED UP. SO I, LIKE, LOST ALL THAT. >> DYLAN, YOU ALSO ARE FROM THE SAME ORGANIZATION WITH ALYSSA, AND YOU ALSO GOT

CAUGHT UP IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. SO, WHAT HAPPENED? WHY WERE YOU NOT ABLE TO GO THROUGH AND FINISH SCHOOL? YOU'RE DOING YOUR GED NOW. >> ONE OF THE MAIN ISSUES WAS, LIKE, ME GOING TO ALL THESE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, AND IT'S LIKE A DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT, DIFFERENT TEACHERS. LIKE, JUST A DIFFERENT WAY THEY DO THINGS. >> IS IT BECAUSE YOU HAD BEEN SUSPENDED PREVIOUSLY -- >> YES. >> -- IN ONE SCHOOL. >> YEAH, AND THEN, LIKE, I HAD A TRANSFER. I REMEMBER IT WAS AT HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL, THERE WAS THIS FIGHT, AND IT WAS HER BOYFRIEND. AND, LIKE, I HAPPENED TO WALK BY THE FIGHT, AND I HAD SAID A COMMENT, AND THE OFFICER LIKE OVERREACTED AND HE LIKE GRABBED ME BY MY ARM AND HE WAS LIKE, COME WITH ME. AT FIRST I WAS LIKE, NO, I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING. AND INSTEAD OF LIKE GRABBING THE GIRLS, LIKE THE TWO GIRLS THAT WERE FIGHTING, HE GRABBED ME AND PUT ME IN

HANDCUFFS. AND, LIKE, HE KNEW I WAS ON PROBATION. HE PUT ME IN HANDCUFFS AND HE TOOK ME DOWN TO THE OFFICE, AND RIGHT AFTER THAT THEY WERE GOING TO CHARGE ME WITH, LIKE, A RIOT CHARGE. I LIKE BEGGED THEM TO CALL MY PROBATION OFFICER SO I WOULDN'T GET THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S PRETTY SERIOUS. >> SO YOU GOT SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF IT? >> YEAH, I GOT SUSPENDED FIVE DAYS, AND THEY GOT SUSPENDED THREE DAYS, BECAUSE THEY HAD TO RESTRAIN ME, WHICH WAS RALLY NOT NECESSARY. >> SO WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT? DID YOU STAY IN THAT SCHOOL? DID YOU GO TO ANOTHER SCHOOL? >> LIKE, I DECIDED JUST TO GET MY GED AND, LIKE, NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH COPS AT SCHOOL, OR THE TEACHERS. JUST DO, LIKE, SOMETHING ONLINE AND JUST GET IT DONE LIKE MY OWN WAY. >> ROSIE, YOU WORK WITH THESE FOLKS. HOW COMMON ARE THESE STORIES? >> I WOULD SAY PRETTY COMMON, AND I THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE EXAMPLE THAT ALYSSA IS GIVING, SHE REALLY

GOT TO A PLACE AND WANTED TO TAKE IT INTO HER OWN HANDS BECAUSE ADULTS WEREN'T DOING WHAT ADULTS NEEDED TO BE DOING. BUT I ALSO THINK ABOUT THE DISCIPLINE THAT HAPPENS, AND IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM WHERE INSTEAD OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S BEHIND THE ACTION, OR WHAT THE ROOT CAUSE IS, WHAT'S GOING ON, IS THERE SOMETHING GOING ON AT HOME, IS THERE SOMETHING TRANSPORTATION, IT'S VERY PUNITIVE. SO I THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE THEME IS REALLY JUST TRYING TO SHOVE AND ISOLATE YOUNG PEOPLE, SO WE'RE KICKING THEM OUT, WE'RE SUSPENDING THEM AND SAYING, YOU HAVE TO LEAVE AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. WE DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH YOU FOR X AMOUNT OF TIME. AND WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE SAYING IS, THAT DOESN'T HELP ME, THAT ISOLATES ME, THAT DOESN'T HELP ME LEARN. IF I'M HERE BECAUSE I'M STRUGGLING WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE, ME SITTING IN DETENTION DOESN'T HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ROOT ISSUE IS. IT'S NOT A JUSTICE ISSUE, IT'S A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. >> I GRADUATED IN 1968 FROM WEST MESA HIGH SCHOOL, BUT

WE HAD THE SAME KIND OF PROBLEMS, WE HAD THE SAME ADULTS TO YOUNG PEOPLE. I DON'T THINK WE OUGHT TO BE -- I THINK IF WE LOOK AROUND AT OUR SOCIETY, IT IS THE WAY WE ARE. WE INCARCERATE MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY PLACE IN THE WHOLE WORLD, RIGHT, SO WE THINK THIS PUNITIVE PUNISHING APPROACH IS THE WAY TO DO THINGS. IT'S THE WAY OUR PARENTS, YOU KNOW, TREATED US, IT'S THE WAY OUR TEACHERS TREATED US, SO WE DO THE SAME THING THAT WE WERE TAUGHT TO DO. >> WE STILL HAVE THESE PROBLEMS, BUT I MEAN, YOU USED TO GO TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, RIGHT? YOU DIDN'T GET PUT IN HANDCUFFS, NECESSARILY. >> IT WASN'T INTENDED TO BE THAT THE POLICE OFFICERS IN THE SCHOOLS WERE THERE TO DO BAD THINGS, THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING GOOD THINGS, AND MOST OF THE TIME THEY DO. BUT WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE BASICS, WHICH IS HOW DO WE HELP THE ADULTS LEARN HOW TO WORK WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN A MORE EFFECTIVE WAY. >> WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING THAT'S NOT? >> WELL, OUR UNIVERSITIES STILL DON'T DO MUCH IN TERMS

OF HOW DO YOU EFFECTIVELY TALK TO YOUNG PEOPLE. THEY'RE NOT TAUGHT DIFFERENT KIND OF SKILLS, SO YOU JUST DO IT THE WAY YOU WERE TAUGHT, OR THE WAY YOU WERE TREATED. YOU HAVE TO LEARN FROM SOMEBODY ELSE THAT THAT'S NOT AN EFFECTIVE WAY. BUT MOST PEOPLE DON'T LEARN IT, BECAUSE NOBODY TEACHES US. >> I WANT TO TURN TO PATRICIO AS OUR RESIDENT SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER. ATRISCO HERITAGE USED TO HAVE THE HIGHEST RATE OF JUVENILES BEING DEFERRED INTO DETENTION. NOW YOU HAVE A VERY LOW RATE. >> WE DO. >> SO, WHAT DID YOU DO? >> WELL, I THINK SOME OF THE DISCUSSION THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING, I RECOGNIZED THAT THOSE ISSUES WERE HAPPENING. WHEN I WAS WITH THE ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT, I WORKED IN MANY BUT WHEN I WENT INTO THE SCHOOLS AND I WORKED AT HIGHLAND, IT'S A DIFFERENT WORLD. YOU HAVE THE SAME KIND OF BEHAVIOR, BUT THE CONTACT CAN'T BE THE SAME BECAUSE YOU'RE DEALING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE. I JUST RECOGNIZE THAT THEY'RE YOUNG, I RECOGNIZE

THAT THEY WEREN'T EXPERIENCED IN LIFE LESSONS. THERE'S MORE ISSUES OUT THERE NOW THAN WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL, AND I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE ON THAT, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF FEAR OUT THERE. SO ONCE YOU IDENTIFY THE FEAR IN WHATEVER THE SITUATION IS, YOU CAN FIND THE RESOLUTION. >> SO YOUR RESOLUTION AT ATRISCO WAS COLLABORATING WITH PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH VALLEY, ALL THE SERVICES THAT MIGHT ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT KIDS ARE GOING THROUGH? >> YES, ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS. AND REALLY STARTED SAYING, WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE, I WAS LOOKING PAST THE VIOLATION AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY, WHY THEY'RE USING DRUGS. IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS AT HOME. IF THE STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED IN CONFLICTS OR THEY HAVE THIS ANGER THING -- I HEAR IT ALL THE TIME, I HAVE ANGER ISSUES. I WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT'S CAUSING THEM TO BE ANGRY. AND WHAT I FOUND IS THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF STUFF THAT COULD BE FIXED BY EDUCATING THAT STUDENT, CREATING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THE SITUATION, AND EVEN MORE SO, NOT TO END UP

IN JAIL, BUT TO STAY IN SCHOOL. I KNOW THERE WAS SOME CONVERSATIONS THAT ONCE OUR STUDENTS ARE SUSPENDED, THEY'RE OUT ON THE STREET, AND THAT'S TYPICALLY WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO GET CAUGHT UP WITH SOME KIND OF BEHAVIOR THAT'S GOING TO END UP REFERRING THEM TO THE COURT. >> GERRI, TALK ABOUT THE KIDS COMING INTO DETENTION. >> ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOLS REALLY THIS ISSUE, NOT THAT THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS, BUT WITH A REALLY INTENTIONAL WAY OF TRYING TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THINGS QUICKLY. I'D HAVE TO SAY ATRISCO HERITAGE IS A SHINING STAR. BUT THREE YEARS AGO, WE HAD OVER 500 REFERRALS FROM THE SCHOOLS TO JUVENILE DETENTION. THANK GOODNESS IN NEW MEXICO WE HAVE A LAW THAT SAYS THAT YOU JUST CAN'T REFER A YOUTH

TO DETENTION FOR ANY REASON, SO OVER 400 OF THOSE YOUTH WERE TURNED BACK AWAY FROM OUR DETENTION DOORS. THE MAJORITY OF THE YOUTH, IT WAS THEIR FIRST OFFENSE OR MAYBE A SECOND. VERY LOW LEVEL, NONPUBLIC SAFETY OFFENSE. >> AND THEY'RE BEING REFERRED INTO DETENTION FOR A FIRST OFFENSE? >> RIGHT. SO I THINK WHEN YOU PUT YOU PUT POLICE IN SCHOOLS, THEY'RE A HAMMER, AND IF THE ONLY TOOL YOU HAVE IS A HAMMER, THEN EVERYTHING ELSE BECOMES A NAIL. AND THAT'S WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE SCHOOLS. BUT ONCE THEY STARTED SEEING THE DATA AND THEN THERE WAS SOME PUSHBACK AND ADVOCACY AROUND THIS, WE'VE SEEN AN 86% DROP IN REFERRALS TO OUR DETENTION CENTERS. SO LAST YEAR, WE ONLY HAD 71 REFERRALS; HOWEVER, 83% OF THOSE REFERRALS WERE YOUTH

OF COLOR. SO WE DO HAVE A VERY SERIOUS TREND AND PROBLEM. >> WHAT IS HAPPENING TO KIDS WHEN THEY HAVE CONTACT WITH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM? WHAT'S THE IMPACT ON THEM? >> SO, YOU KNOW, JUST BEING SUSPENDED TWICE LOWERS YOUR GRADUATION RATE FROM SCHOOLS. IT'S BECAUSE YOUTH IS REMOVED FROM THE PROCESS OF EDUCATION. AND TO PUT A YOUTH IN DETENTION ONE DAY, ONE DAY OVERNIGHT, LOWERS THE GRADUATION RATE 50% FOR YOUTH WHO HAVE PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL ALREADY. >> HOW MUCH DO WE SPEND CONFINING PEOPLE, YOUNG PEOPLE, IN BERNALILLO? >> AS OF THIS PAST YEAR, IT'S $328.65 A DAY. >> I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT, BECAUSE WHEN I WAS LOOKING

AT THESE ISSUES AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH OUR YOUTH, SETTING THEM UP FOR THAT FIRST CONTACT IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, BUT THAT WAS ACTUALLY PLANTING A SEED FOR POTENTIAL ADULT INCARCERATION. I THINK LAST YEAR, BERNALILLO COUNTY SPENT OVER $100 MILLION ON THAT. SO MY BIGGEST MOTIVATION FOR THIS COLLABORATIVE THAT WE HAVE IS TO CHANGE THE STUDENT BEHAVIOR, KEEP THEM IN SCHOOL, OF COURSE KEEP THEM OUT OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM, BUT REALLY KIND OF HOLD THAT STUDENT ACCOUNTABLE, AND THAT WAY OF THINKING, THAT STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTABILITY IS TO INCLUDE THAT STUDENT IN SOMETHING, MAKE THEM A PART OF THE SCHOOL. KIND OF CHANGES THE WAY THEY SEE THINGS. I KNOW THAT YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE OUT, YOU WERE ALONE IN THIS INSTITUTION THAT HAD A LOT OF OTHER STUDENTS AND ADULTS, AND THAT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT TRUANCY RATES AND ALL THESE OTHER ISSUES

THAT DEAL WITH OUR STUDENTS. >> SO YOU DON'T REFER KIDS VERY OFTEN? >> IT DEPENDS. PER STATUTE, IF STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE ARRESTED, IT'S THEY'RE DEALING DRUGS ON CAMPUS. THEY BRING A WEAPON AND ASSAULT A STAFF MEMBER OR STUDENT. OR IF THERE'S A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION. THE FIGHTING, SOME OF THE GANG-RELATED ACTIVITY, THERE USED TO BE A CHARGE, INTERFERING WITH THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS, THAT WAS USED A LOT. BUT EVEN LOWER END DRUG OFFENSES, WE TAKE CARE OF THAT WITHIN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE COLLABORATIVE. >> TONY, ONE OF THE ISSUES STUDENTS FACE, WE HEARD, THEY GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY WELCOME BACK THERE, AND OR THEY DON'T FEEL IT, OR SOMETIMES SCHOOLS JUST DON'T WANT THEM. YOU HAVE CHARTER SCHOOLS, AND YOUR CHARTER SCHOOLS TENDED TO TAKE KIDS WHO WERE NOT ON A PATH THAT THE TYPICAL GOOD STUDENT WAS ON. HOW DID YOU DO THAT? >> I THINK IT'S SUPER

IMPORTANT THAT WE REMEMBER THAT THE MENTAL MODEL THAT WE HAVE FOR SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL IN PARTICULAR, HAS NOT CHANGED IN OVER 100 YEARS. WE HAVE A WORLD THAT NOW IS SO MUCH MORE CONNECTED. INFORMATION ANYWHERE NOW. THEY CARRY A PHONE AROUND, THEY HAVE ACCESS TO ALL KINDS OF INFORMATION. THE TRADITIONAL STRUCTURES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITIES, THE LIFELONG EMPLOYMENT WITH ONE EMPLOYER, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS ARE GONE, AND I THINK THAT THINGS LIKE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS, KINDS OF THINGS ARE REALLY DOUBLING DOWN ON A MODEL THAT IS OUT OF DATE, NOT APPLICABLE ANYMORE. WHAT WE'VE DONE REALLY IS, WE'VE SAID, WE'RE NOT GOING TO CHANGE, WE'RE GOING TO ENFORCE THE MODEL THAT WE HAVE NOW, AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO ADAPT TO A NEW

FUTURE. >> I THINK PART OF THE REALITY IS THAT SCHOOLS BACK THEN ALSO WEREN'T BUILT FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. I MEAN, THAT'S ALSO, I THINK, PART A REALLY CRITICAL REALITY THAT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT, AND THAT WHEN WE THEN KNOW -- I MEAN, WE CAN LOOK AT -- I REMEMBER MOVING TO NEW MEXICO AND BEING SO SHOCKED THAT THE CURRICULUM DID NOT HAVE -- IT DIDN'T REPRESENT THE CULTURES AND HISTORIES OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT LIVE HERE, AND THIS IS A MAJORITY AND THAT SHOCKED ME. SO I THINK ABOUT MY OWN EXPERIENCE AS A YOUNG PERSON. I MEAN, I REMEMBER CALLING TEACHERS OUT SAYING, WHERE'S MY -- I NEVER HAD A TEACHER THAT LOOKED LIKE ME IN SCHOOL, I NEVER LEARNED ABOUT MY HISTORY, NEVER LEARNED ABOUT MY CULTURE, AND I FELT HUGELY DISCONNECTED FROM THE CURRICULUM. WHEN YOU GO DEEPER IN THE SYSTEM, THAT JUST GETS HIGHER AND HIGHER, AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S RIGHT. >> I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT, BECAUSE ONCE -- I STARTED CHANGING THE WAY I WAS LOOKING AND DEALING WITH STUDENTS. SOME OF THE BIGGEST HURDLES I HAD WERE WITHIN THE SCHOOL

SYSTEM. I REALLY WANT TO KIND OF TELL A LITTLE STORY, BECAUSE AT ATRISCO THERE'S A REALLY BIG PUSH TO IDENTIFY AND BUILD A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STUDENTS. ANTONIO GONZALES, WHO IS THE PRINCIPAL THERE, REALLY DID AN AWESOME THING. HE RENTED THREE BUSES, AND HE PUT ALL HIS TEACHERS ON THE BUS AND THEY DROVE AROUND THE COMMUNITY. THEY DROVE AROUND THE WHOLE SOUTH VALLEY. WHAT HE WANTED TO DO IS LET THOSE TEACHERS KNOW AND SEE WHERE THEIR KIDS ARE COMING FROM. THE REWARD AND CONVERSATION THAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT ONE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY REALLY KIND OF CHANGED THAT THING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME. >> I WANT TO BRING GAIL IN, BECAUSE TONY IS TALKING ABOUT THIS OLDER MODEL, AND ROSIE SAYS THEY WEREN'T DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR. WELL, BACK 100 YEARS AGO, KIDS WHO HAD DISABILITIES WEREN'T IN THOSE SCHOOLS. THEY WERE SOMEWHERE ELSE. >> RIGHT. >> AND WE HAVE INTEGRATED THEM INTO OUR SCHOOLS, BUT

THEY ARE A POPULATION THAT ALMOST MORE THAN ANY OTHER GETS SWEPT UP IN THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE. >> MEGAN, I DO THINK THAT HISTORY IS IMPORTANT, ACTUALLY. IN THE '70s TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES HAD ACCESS TO PUBLIC EDUCATION, THERE WERE OVER 8 MILLION STUDENTS EXCLUDED, SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED FROM SCHOOLING AT THAT TIME. NEW MEXICO WAS THE LAST STATE IN THE UNION TO ACCEPT FEDERAL FUNDING WHICH REQUIRED FOLLOWING FEDERAL LAW WITH REGARD TO INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND MEETING THEIR NEEDS. SO EXCLUSION FROM SCHOOL WAS THE TRADITIONAL METHOD OF DEALING WITH STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. GENERALLY THEY HAVE SKILL DEFICITS IN SOME AREAS THAT ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT. SO WHEN YOU HAVE A SKILL DEFICIT AND YOU CAN'T CONFORM YOUR BEHAVIOR, PERHAPS YOU'RE A PERSON WITH FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME,

PERHAPS YOU'RE A PERSON WITH ASPERGER'S, PERHAPS YOU'RE A PERSON WITH A HEARING IMPAIRMENT THAT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED, YOU ARE NOT GIVING THE RESPONSE THAT THE AUTHORITARIAN PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE SCHOOL IS LOOKING FOR, AND YOU'RE SEEN AS BEING DISOBEDIENT, AS BEING BAD, AS BEING SOMEBODY THAT WE CAN'T WORK WITH, AND THE EASIEST WAY, THE EASIEST PATH IS SUSPENSION. THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS SERVED IN SPECIAL EDUCATION HAVE INVISIBLE DISABILITIES. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY HAVE A LEARNING DISABILITY, TYPICALLY SOMETHING LIKE DYSLEXIA. THE FAILURE TO BE ABLE TO READ, WRITE AND SPELL, AND DO MATH, IS A HUGE DEFICIT THE FURTHER YOU GO IN SCHOOL. KIDS EITHER SHUT DOWN, OR THEY ACT UP. AND SO YOU HAVE WHAT LOOKS LIKE DISOBEDIENCE BY MIDDLE SCHOOL. IF YOU TRACK THAT CHILD'S EDUCATIONAL RECORDS BACK TO THE 2nd GRADE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY WERE HAVING DIFFICULTIES WITH READING, WRITING, SPELLING AND MATH, AND IT WAS NOT REMEDIATED. AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT

HOLDING KIDS BACK, I'M TALKING ABOUT BRINGING EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUCTION INTO THE CLASSROOMS SO THAT EVERYBODY HAS THE INSTRUCTION THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. AND SO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO DO NOT READ WELL CAN GET APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION, BUT NOT IF EVERYBODY IS SAYING, IT'S ALL ABOUT BEHAVIOR. >> SO MEGAN, I THINK THAT WHAT GAIL'S POINTING OUT IS, IT'S A STRUCTURAL DESIGN PROBLEM. THE BEST DESIGN WORK STARTS WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING SERVED. SO, WHO'S THE CLIENT? WHAT IS THEIR NARRATIVE? WHAT IS THEIR LIFE? AND THEN YOU DESIGN BACKWARDS FROM WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE. BUT WHAT WE'VE GOT IS, WE'VE GOT SCHOOLS THAT WERE DESIGNED IN AN ERA BEFORE WE ASKED ANYBODY WHAT THEIR NEEDS WERE. IT PLAYS OUT IN A 62% GRADUATION RATE, AND PLAYS OUT IN KIDS BEING MARGINALIZED IN SCHOOL, AND THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE. >> I WANTED TO BRING MICHAEL IN JUST BECAUSE YOU WORK

WITH A LOT OF THE TRIBAL POPULATION, AND IN BERNALILLO HIGH SCHOOL, NOT THE ONLY PLACE YOU WORK, BUT HOW HAVE YOU HELPED SYSTEMS ADAPT TO THE NEEDS OF THOSE KIDS? >> A LOT OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS DISABILITIES PRESENT THEMSELVES AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, AND THEY'VE GONE MASKED THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE COURSE OF GETTING INVOLVED IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. SO WHEN YOU HAVE A CLASSROOM THAT YOU NEED TO MANAGE FROM A TEACHER'S STANDPOINT, IT BECOMES VERY CHALLENGING, AND THE EASIEST ROUTE, BECAUSE THEIR SUCCESS IS BASED ON HOW THEIR STUDENTS SUCCEED, IT'S EASIER TO REMOVE THE ISSUE. I CAN'T GO IN AND TELL THE TEACHER HOW TO DO THEIR JOB, BUT I CAN GO TO THE THIS IS STEMMING FROM HERE. BUT I BET YOU IT GOES BACK TO WHAT TONY AND GAIL ARE MAKING REFERENCE TO. IT GOES THAT FAR BACK. BUT NOW WE'RE DEALING WITH A 16 YEAR OLD WHO MAYBE HAD

THESE ISSUES MASKED FOR A VERY LONG TIME, AND IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THEIR FAULT. BUT HOW DO WE INCORPORATE THE TEACHERS, THE PARENTS, THE COMMUNITY TO HELP REALIZE THIS, TO MOVE THIS KID IN A SUCCESSFUL PLACE. >> I WANTED TO INCLUDE ESTEVAN HERE BECAUSE THEY GET TO YOU, AND YOU'RE A PROBATION OFFICER, AFTER SOME OF THE STUFF HAS HAPPENED. >> RIGHT. >> WHAT LEEWAY DO YOU HAVE? >> A KID BREAKS THE LAW, AND THEY COME INTO OUR OFFICE AND WE HOLD WHAT'S CALLED A PRELIMINARY INQUIRY. WE HAVE SOME DISCRETION AS TO HOW TO HANDLE THOSE CERTAIN CASES. I'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT THE PRELIMINARY INQUIRY, THAT INITIAL MEETING WITH THE CHILD AND THE FAMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF OUR INTERACTION WITH THAT CHILD. SO WE CAN FIND OUT WHAT IS ISSUES LEADING YOU INTO GETTING SUSPENDED, ACTING OUT, USING ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. THERE'S A LOT MORE THAN JUST THAT POLICE REPORT, THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT WE WANT TO

FIND OUT, AND THAT GIVES US A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHETHER THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY DOES NEED TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF GOING THROUGH THE COURT SYSTEM, DO THEY NEED THAT ADDED SUPERVISION, THESE ADDED CONDITIONS, OR CAN WE AND REFER THEM TO A DIVERSION PROGRAM, SUCH AS A TEEN COURT, OR A SCOUT REACH PROGRAM WHICH IS SIMILAR TO BOY SCOUTS, TEACHING THEM LIFE SKILLS, HAVING THEM DO COMMUNITY SERVICE, WITHOUT GETTING THEM MORE INVOLVED IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. I'M SURE ALYSSA AND DYLAN CAN EXPLAIN THAT ONCE YOU ARE INVOLVED IN THE SYSTEM, IT CAN BE VERY HARD TO GET OUT. >> IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A CHANGE IN GENERAL IN EDUCATION AND LAW ENFORCEMENT, AT LEAST THE BEGINNINGS OF CHANGE. >> I THINK THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE. AGAIN, WE DO NOT WANT, IF POSSIBLE, DO NOT WANT THE CHILDREN TO GET EXTREMELY ENTRENCHED THROUGH THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT WE'VE MENTIONED. WE DON'T FEEL WE SEND KIDS TO THAT FACILITY BECAUSE, SORRY, WE'RE DONE WITH PROBATION, WE CAN'T WORK WITH YOU ANYMORE. AT SOME POINT WE ARE LEFT WITH NO OTHER OPTIONS.

>> WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THIS DISCUSSION IN OUR NEXT PART, AND WE'RE GOING TO ADD IN SOME LEADERSHIP FOLKS FROM CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND FROM EDUCATION. SO SIT TIGHT AND WE'LL CONTINUE THIS AND TALK ABOUT SOLUTIONS. BACK TO OUR SECOND PART OF PUBLIC SQUARE. WE'VE ADDED IN A FEW OF OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND I WANT TO START WITH YOU, JOSEPH. YOU ARE HEADING A NEW OFFICE AT ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE OFFICE OF EQUITY. WHAT IS THAT OFFICE TASKED WITH DOING, LOOKING AT SOME OF THESE ISSUES THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE FIRST PART OF THE SHOW? >> WELL, I THINK ONE OF THE TO DO IS TO CONTINUE TO GIVE YOUTH VOICE. >> HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT? >> WE HAVE NOT CONSISTENTLY DONE THAT OVER MANY YEARS AT ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND SO THE FIRST THING WE

DID IS, WE HAD A MY BROTHER'S KEEPER YOUTH SUMMIT WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND STUDENT DISCIPLINE. FROM ACROSS THE DISTRICT COME TOGETHER. THEY DON'T FEEL ENGAGED IN SCHOOL, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING PUSHED OUT AT EVERY TURN, THAT ADULTS AREN'T ENGAGING WITH THEM OR CONNECTING WITH THEM AS INDIVIDUALS, OR CARING ABOUT THEM SIMPLY. SO WE ARE TAKING THAT INFORMATION AND TRYING TO MOVE IT FORWARD. WE'RE WORKING WITH THE FORUM FOR YOUTH TO DESIGN A MECHANISM THAT WE HAVE SPACE SO THAT YOUTH CAN COME ON A REGULAR BASIS. BEFORE, THE SUPERINTENDENT IN THE PAST HAD AN ADVISORY COUNCIL WHICH WAS LARGELY MADE UP OF STUDENT BODY PRESIDENTS, BUT WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT'S NOT A WIDE RANGE OF VOICE FOR STUDENTS TO COME FORWARD. WE NEED STUDENTS WHO ARE ENGAGED IN SCHOOL AT HIGH LEVELS, LIKE BEING A STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT, BUT ALSO HEARING FROM THE DISENGAGED YOUTH OF WHY THEY LEFT

SCHOOL, WHY THEY'RE THINKING OF DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL, WHY ARE THEY GOING DOWN THE PATH OF GED, AND WHAT CAN WE DO BETTER AS AN INSTITUTION TO TAKE ON THESE MATTERS. >> TONNA, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS PUTTING SOME REFORMS IN PLACE IN RIO RANCHO IN TERMS OF HOW THE DISCIPLINARY PROCESS WORKS. HAS THAT HAD AN IMPACT? >> WE HAD OVER 100 APPROXIMATE HEARINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING THAT YEAR FOR STUDENTS. WE ARE NOW DOING 35, APPROXIMATELY 35 TO 45 HEARINGS A YEAR, AND WE HAVE A PROCESS SET UP WHERE WHEN AN ADMINISTRATOR PUTS THAT, I WANT TO TAKE A STUDENT TO HEARING, I LOOK THROUGH IT AND I SAY, OKAY, HAVE YOU GONE TO SAT? >> WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? >> STUDENT ASSISTANCE TEAM. >> OKAY. >> HAVE YOU MET WITH THE PARENTS? HAVE YOU HAD MORE THAN ONE MEETING WITH THE PARENTS, AND AN ACTUAL SIT DOWN PARENT MEETING, NOT A MEETING JUST ON THE PHONE AND TALKING FOR FIVE MINUTES AND GETTING ANGRY, AND NOT ACCOMPLISHING MUCH. BUT HAVING THOSE TYPES OF MEETINGS. HAVE THEY BEEN REFERRED TO

OUTSIDE RESOURCES THAT MIGHT BE THERE IN THE COMMUNITY? YOU KNOW, HAVE ALL THESE THINGS BEEN DONE BEFORE WE EVEN LOOK AT TAKING THE STUDENT TO A HEARING, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY AS WE ALL KNOW, IF A STUDENT IS ACTING OUT, SOMETHING IS GOING ON. >> I JUST WANTED TO ASK ALYSSA, WHAT WOULD HAVE HELPED YOU IN THE SCHOOL. SYSTEM? WHAT WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE, OR KEPT YOU ENGAGED IN SCHOOL? >> I JUST FELT LIKE I WAS NOT WELCOMED THERE. WELCOMED BY STUDENTS, TEACHERS, STAFF. I JUST FELT LIKE MAYBE IF I HAD MORE OF THAT SUPPORT THERE BY STAFF AND TEACHERS, TELLING ME, LIKE, YOU CAN DO IT, DON'T GIVE UP, INSTEAD OF SAYING, OH, JUST GO GET YOUR GED. THAT KIND OF JUST MADE ME FEEL LIKE, WELL, OKAY, THEN, BYE, I'LL GO GET MY GED. >> IT SEEMS LIKE WE NEED A SHIFT IN PRIORITIES, AND MAYBE LIKE A SHIFT IN HOW WE FUND THESE PRIORITIES TO ADDRESS THE DISCONNECT THAT KIDS FEEL. >> ACTUALLY, OUR TWO COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOLS

HAVE EIGHT COUNSELORS AT EACH OF THE SCHOOLS, AND THEN OUR INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL HAS TWO COUNSELORS. THOSE COUNSELORS ARE ABLE TO STAY ON TOP WITH THOSE STUDENTS AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON, AND BE ABLE TO GET OPINIONS FROM THEM, OR WHAT'S BOTHERING THEM, OR WHY ARE THEY NOT DOING WELL. I DON'T THINK ANY STUDENT SHOULD BE TOLD TO JUST GO GET THEIR GED. >> DO WE HAVE ENOUGH COUNSELORS OR SOCIAL WORKERS LIKE THAT IN APS? I MEAN, IT'S AN ENORMOUS SCHOOL SYSTEM. >> I THINK SUCH RESOURCES ARE ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ASKED FOR, BUT WHAT I SCALE UP AND LOOK AT THE MODEL THAT OFFICER RUILOBA HAS DONE AT ATRISCO HERITAGE, AND IT'S USING COMMUNITY SUPPORTS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY DOING GREAT WORK WITH OUR YOUTH, AND PUTTING THEM IN PLACE INTO THE SCHOOLS SO THAT THEY CAN CONNECT DIRECTLY IMMEDIATELY WITH OUR STUDENTS. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE PRIME EXAMPLES THAT YOU CAN SEE AT ATRISCO HERITAGE THAT'S DIFFERENT IS, IF YOU'RE IN

ANY OTHER SCHOOL AND YOU GET IN TROUBLE FOR A SUBSTANCE ABUSE VIOLATION, YOU'RE REFERRED TO A COUNSELOR FROM THE DISTRICT THAT WILL WORK WITH YOU. THAT MAY HAPPEN IN 48, 72, A WEEK LATER. WHEN IT HAPPENS AT ATRISCO HERITAGE, IT IS IMMEDIATE. >> SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 48 HOURS, A WEEK. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO -- I'M LOOKING AT MICHAEL, BECAUSE HE'S OFTEN GETTING THESE KIDS, OR PATRICIO, TO GET THE KIDS RIGHT AWAY? >> THE BIGGEST REASON WHY I WANT IMMEDIATE DIRECT SERVICES IS I DON'T THINK IS INVOLVED IN NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR AND THEY GET SERVICES TWO OR THREE WEEKS DOWN THE ROAD, BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY FORGOTTEN WHAT THEY'VE DONE AND MOVED ON. >> THAT'S RIGHT, ABSOLUTELY. >> SO IF WE'RE LOOKING AT CHANGING BEHAVIORS, WE HAVE TO GIVE THEM AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN DURING THAT TIME WHEN THE BEHAVIOR IS OCCURRING, INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR IT. >> AND IF I MAY, THAT'S WHY I MADE REFERENCE TO THE REASON WHY WE SUSPEND, YOU SUSPEND. SOMETIMES IF THEY DO GET CAUGHT, LET'S SAY WITH

MARIJUANA, THEY'RE SUSPENDED TWO, THREE DAYS OUT OF SCHOOL. IF THEY'RE DISCONNECTED FROM THE SCHOOL OR PEOPLE THAT CAN, YOU KNOW, ASSIST THEM, WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING AT HOME, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE PARENTS WHO WORK. >> THAT'S WHEN THEY END UP IN YOUR COURT. >> YES. >> WHEN THEY END UP IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE ALREADY REACHED A POINT WHERE A LOT OF THINGS HAVE GONE WRONG. >> WHAT WE CAN DO AS JUDICIAL OFFICERS AND AS PEOPLE IN THE JUVENILE COLLABORATION, CALL THE MEETING AND THEY WILL COME, TO ADDRESS PREVENTATIVE APPROACHES RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, SEND YOUR KID TO OUR COURT AND WE'LL DEAL WITH IT, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T WORK. WE'RE DEALING WITH THINGS AFTER THE FACT WHEN, I THINK AS WAS ALREADY MENTIONED, FORGOTTEN WHAT IT IS THEY DID. WHY AM I HERE AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? SO I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS -- I KNOW WE'VE USED THE TERM SCHOOL TO PRISON

PIPELINE. THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JUDGES HAS COINED I THINK A MORE NEUTRAL TERM, SCHOOL PATHWAYS TO JUVENILE JUSTICE, BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE A ROLE IN IT. IT'S NOT JUST THE SCHOOLS AND WHAT THEY DO OR DON'T DO, BUT IT'S WHAT WE DO OR DON'T DO AS A COMMUNITY. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO OWN IT AS MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AND GET INVOLVED EARLY AND OFTEN? BECAUSE BY THE TIME IT GETS TO US, AND GERRI CAN ATTEST AND SOME OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE CAN ATTEST HERE, THAT ONCE THEY END UP IN A COURTROOM BEFORE A JUDGE, WE HAVE YOUNG LADIES, NOT MANY YOUNG MEN, BUT YOUNG LADIES THAT SAY, JUST GIVE ME MY COMMITMENT. THAT'S THE QUICKEST WAY OUT. AND THAT'S NOT A SOLUTION IN MY MIND, BECAUSE WE'RE JUST KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. >> THAT'S RIGHT. >> I WAS GOING TO SAY, I THINK, JUDGE ROMERO, WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND ALYSSA HAS TALKED ABOUT, THAT'S A SYMPTOM THAT SOMETHING IS NOT WORKING, THAT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE IN A WANT TO DO PROBATION, I'M DONE WITH ALL THESE

PROGRAMS, JUST LOCK ME UP FOR A YEAR, PUT ME IN PRISON. THAT'S A REALLY SCARY -- AND I KNOW, AND WHAT I'M HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO SAY IS THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT BERNALILLO COUNTY IS ACTIVELY TAKING ON TO FIGURE OUT, BECAUSE THIS IS A MORAL DILEMMA, THIS IS A MORAL OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, WE ARE LOCKING UP AND THROWING AWAY THE KEY, AND WE ARE PUSHING YOUNG PEOPLE THERE. I MEAN, JUDGE, YOU SAID IT REALLY WELL. I THINK IT'S NOT JUST SCHOOL. PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IT'S CRADLE TO PRISON. I MEAN, WE LOOK AT 3rd GRADE TEST SCORES TO PREDICT HOW MANY PRISON BEDS WE NEED. AS A NATION, WE'RE LOOKING AT 3rd GRADE TEST SCORES. >> THAT'S PRETTY SAD. >> IT'S TERRIFYING, AND IT'S TRUE. IN 3rd GRADE, WE'RE PREDICTING PRISON. SO I THINK WE DO, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS IS A MORAL ISSUE. AND I THINK ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, WE HAVE TO ALSO LOOK AT STRUCTURAL RACISM, INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, AND UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S IMPLICIT BIAS IN UNDERSTANDING THOSE PIECES. AND I THINK UNTIL WE -- THOSE ARE THE ROOTS OF WHY

WE HAVE CERTAIN YOUNG PEOPLE IN PRISON, AND CERTAIN YOUNG PEOPLE BEING PUSHED OUT OF SCHOOLS, AND CERTAIN YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE REALLY NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. >> IN MY DISTRICT, THE SOUTH VALLEY, WE HAVE THE ZIP CODE HIGHEST INCARCERATION RATES FOR YOUTH AND ADULTS. SO, I MEAN, KIDS ARE GROWING UP WITH THIS KIND OF ATTITUDE ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE FROM. THE MEDIA, OF COURSE, DOESN'T HELP, AND THE KIDS KIND OF THINK THAT. SO ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT I HAVE, FIRST, BEING A POLICE OFFICER WAS TRYING TO BRIDGE THAT GAP AND CREATE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, BUT THE SECOND WAS, IT WAS REALLY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE STUDENTS AND SAY, YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS, YOU ARE BETTER THAN WHAT SOCIETY. THINKS ABOUT YOU JUST BECAUSE OF WHERE YOU'RE FROM. AND ONCE I STARTED REALLY HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE STUDENTS, THAT'S WHEN I STARTED IDENTIFYING THE POTENTIAL LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITY. BUT IT TOOK THAT ONE THING.

AND WE CAN ALL THROW MONEY AT THIS, WE CAN CREATE ALTERNATIVES, BUT IF WE'RE NOT EMPOWERING OUR YOUTH TO CHANGE THE WAY THEY PERCEIVE THEMSELVES, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY'RE FROM, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE WASTING SOME TIME. >> CHILDREN DON'T PERCEIVE THEMSELVES LIKE THAT NATURALLY. DON'T SEE THEMSELVES AS LESSER. THAT HAPPENS BECAUSE OF THE INSTITUTIONS THAT EFFECT THEM AND THE WAY PEOPLE TREAT THEM. >> PLUS A LOT OF IT COMES FROM HOME LIFE. >> I HEAR THAT PART, YES. >> IF YOU LISTEN TO ALYSSA AND YOU LISTEN TO THE OTHER STUDENTS, THERE'S A FACT THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE. THEY ARE THE EXPERTS. WE DO NOT TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THEIR EXPERTISE AND THEN BUILD BACKWARD FROM WHAT THEY'RE TELLING US. IT'S ONE THING TO LISTEN TO KIDS, IT'S ANOTHER THING TO BE ABLE TO REDESIGN AROUND WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE, AND THAT'S THE SPACE THAT WE'RE IN NOW.

WE'RE IN A REDESIGN SPACE. >> JOSEPH, YOU MENTIONED THE INITIATIVE YOU HAD WHERE THERE WAS INPUT FROM YOUNG PEOPLE, AND YOU SURPRISED SOME FOLKS. HOW DO YOU CONTINUE THAT PROCESS SO THAT THEIR VOICES ARE HEARD AND LEGITIMIZED? >> WELL, THAT'S WHY WE'RE PARTNERING WITH THE FORUM FOR YOUTH, TO CONTINUE THAT SPACE SO THAT WE ARE MOVING THINGS FORWARD. >> BUT IT'S ALSO A CHANGE IN MINDSET FOR TEACHERS, TOO. >> A HUGE CHANGE IN MINDSET, AND THE OTHER THING WE'RE TAKING ON IS LOOKING AT THE STUDENT BEHAVIOR HANDBOOK. IT IS A SYSTEM THAT'S VERY PUNITIVE, SO WE ARE TAKING ON THAT JOURNEY BECAUSE WE HEARD FROM OUR YOUTH THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS, KICKING STUDENTS LITERALLY OUT OF SCHOOL SUPPORTS IN PLACE FOR THEM TO ENGAGE WITH IN DEALING WITH THE ISSUES THAT THEY ARE FACING. SO WE ARE TAKING THEM ON HEAD ON. SO WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A PROCESS TO GO THROUGH. NOW, I'LL TELL YOU, THAT IS GOING TO BE SOME OF THE

HARDEST WORK THAT WE WILL EVER DO, BECAUSE HAVING INITIAL CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR TEACHERS, OUR TEACHERS ARE SAYING, THAT'S THE ONLY LEVER THAT WE HAVE TO GET STUDENTS TO DO SOMETHING. SO WE HAVE TO ALSO BE WORKING ON CHANGING THE CULTURE. >> BUT TRAINING THE TEACHERS, TOO. I MEAN, IT GOES TO WHAT GAIL WAS TALKING ABOUT, TRAINING THEM TO DEAL WITH KIDS WHO AREN'T FITTING BEHAVIORAL NORMS BECAUSE THEY HAVE OTHER ISSUES GOING ON. >> THEY HAVE SKILL DEFICITS CREATED BY DISABILITY, POTENTIALLY. BUT KIDS WHO ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOL, IT STARTS VERY EARLY. ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ALL THESE PUBLIC SCHOOLS STILL CALL PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES TO SAY, COME PICK SUSIE UP AT LUNCH TODAY, SHE'S HAVING A HARD DAY. THEY VERY SILENTLY AND WITHOUT A RECORD START SENDING KIDS HOME AT VERY EARLY AGES. IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY IN THESE SCHOOLS.

>> SO THIS SEEMS TO GO TOWARDS TEACHER TRAINING AS WELL, THOUGH. LOOK, WE ALL KNOW TEACHERS HAVE A REALLY DIFFICULT JOB AND THEY'RE BALANCING A LOT, AND YOU HAVE DISRUPTION IN THE CLASSROOM AND YOU'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT. NOW, SOME OF THEM DON'T HANDLE IT WELL, AND SOME OF THEM DO. >> WHAT WE'VE DONE IS, WE CREATED RESOURCES FOR THE TEACHERS. BECAUSE WE'RE HUMAN. WE HAVE BAD DAYS. AND SOMETIMES A STUDENT AND DAY AT THE SAME TIME. INSTEAD OF SUSPENDING THAT STUDENT FOR THAT NEGATIVE OUTCRY, OR WHATEVER WAS HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM, THEY GET SENT TO OUR STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER. WE HAVE AN AWESOME INDIVIDUAL THERE, DEAN LEH, WHO HAS A CONVERSATION ABOUT EXPECTATIONS, RESPECT. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY MAKES WHAT HE DOES GREAT IS, HE LISTENS TO THE STUDENT AND THEN HE HAS A CONVERSATION WITH THE TEACHER, AND THEN HE BRINGS THEM BOTH TOGETHER AND THEY HAVE A CONVERSATION AND RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. >> THERE IS A GENERAL. PROGRESSION RIGHT NOW AWAY FROM ZERO TOLERANCE, AWAY FROM THESE AUTOMATIC

SUSPENSIONS, BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE ARGUING AGAINST THAT AND SAYING WE'RE PUTTING ALL THESE RESOURCES INTO KIDS WHO ARE DISRUPTIVE WHILE THE MAJORITY OF KIDS WANT TO LEARN AND THEY'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING. >> THERE IS A SENTIMENT AMONG MANY PEOPLE THAT BEHAVE BADLY JUST INTERFERES WITH EVERYBODY ELSE'S EDUCATION, AND THAT'S A PRETTY PERVASIVE SENTIMENT AMONG A LOT OF PEOPLE. BUT THEY HAPPEN TO BE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE KIDS IN SCHOOL. THEY LOOK AT SCHOOL AND THEY WONDER, HOW COME THAT KID IS SO DISRUPTIVE? WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. BUT THEY'RE PEOPLE THAT LOOK FROM THE OUTSIDE IN, AND THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE KIDS WHO ARE IN SCHOOL, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE FUNDAMENTAL THAT THE PATHWAY TO LEARNING IS THROUGH SUPPORT, THAT UNLESS YOU FEEL SAFE AND YOU FEEL SUPPORTED, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LEARN. AND THEY JUDGE WHAT HAPPENS IN SCHOOL, BUT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE KIDS WHO ARE THERE, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE

EXPERIENCES THAT THE KIDS HAVE HAD, OR THE CHALLENGE OF REORIENTING A TEACHER AWAY FROM A DISCIPLINE MODEL TO A SUPPORTIVE MODEL. THOSE ARE IMMENSE CHALLENGES. >> DO YOU FACE THAT SAME PRESSURE ON THE BENCH? >> OH, ABSOLUTELY. ESPECIALLY ON THE CHILDREN'S COURT BENCH. PEOPLE WANT KIDS HAMMERED. THEY WANT THEM DEALT WITH ALMOST A FEELING LIKE THEIR SOLUTION WOULD BE, AND SOMETIMES IT'S FROM PARENTS, AND I EXAGGERATE ONLY A LITTLE BIT, TAKE THEM OUT IN THE BACK AND SHOOT THEM, BECAUSE THAT'S THE SOLUTION. OBVIOUSLY THAT'S NOT GOING TO SOLVE ANYTHING. ONE SUSPENSION, TWO SUSPENSIONS IS A GUARANTEE THAT THAT CHILD IS GOING TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOL, IS A GUARANTEE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO END UP IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, IT'S A GUARANTEE THAT THEY WILL LIKELY HAVE CHILDREN AT A YOUNG AGE THEMSELVES, THAT THEY WILL BE UTILIZING THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM BECAUSE OF NEGLECT AND ABUSE, AND THE CYCLE STARTS ALL OVER AGAIN. >> WE USED TO HAVE 110 TO 115 KIDS EVERY DAY IN COUNTY IN THE LATE 1990s. I'M SURE JUDGE REMEMBERS

THOSE TIMES WHEN THAT'S OVERCROWDING IN A JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER. NOW OUR AVERAGE DAILY POPULATION HOOVERS BETWEEN 30 TO 40 YOUTH FROM BERNALILLO COUNTY, AND IT'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE DECREASE. SO WHAT IS YOUR REACTION AS THE COMMUNITY? YOU'VE LEFT ALL THESE KIDS OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY! WHAT ARE THEY DOING? WELL, OUR DATA SHOWS, AND IT'S VERY COUNTER-INTUITIVE, THAT THE JUVENILE CRIME RATE, NOT JUST MISDEMEANORS, BUT FELONIES AND SERIOUS CRIMES, HAVE DROPPED OVER 50% IN ALBUQUERQUE IN THAT TIME PERIOD, AS WELL. >> YOU KNOW, WE VERY OFTEN ARE PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH BECAUSE WE SAY, WE CANNOT AFFORD ANOTHER SUPPORT PROGRAM. WE CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO HAVE THOSE SUPPORT PROGRAMS, BECAUSE THOSE ARE CHEAPER IN THE LONG-TERM THAN SPENDING MONEY ON HOUSING A YOUTH IN CAMINO NUEVO OR AT

BERNALILLO COUNTY YOUTH SERVICES CENTER. >> AND I WOULD TALK ABOUT OUR AES PROGRAM, WHICH IS OUR ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SETTING, WHICH IS FUNDED THROUGH THE SANDOVAL COUNTY JUVENILE JUSTICE BOARD THROUGH CYFD. IT'S A SMALL PERCENTAGE WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT. IT'S ABOUT $86,000 THAT SUPPORTS A TEACHER AND AN EA. AND WHEN STUDENTS ARE SHORT OR LONG-TERM SUSPENDED FROM 6th THROUGH 12th GRADE IN RIO RANCHO PUBLIC THIS PROGRAM WHERE THEY DO GET SUPPORT RIGHT AWAY, THERE'S A COUNSELOR THERE, SOMEONE TO SUPPORT THEM RIGHT AWAY. AND IF THEY GO TO HEARING, THEN THEY ARE ALLOWED TO GO THERE AND WORK ON ALL OF THEIR HOMEWORK AND RETAIN THEIR CREDITS, AND THEN BE ABLE TO GO BACK INTO THE SCHOOL SETTING. IN FACT, CRIME RAT A GOING DOWN WELL, LOOK AT RIO RANCHO. OUR STUDENTS ARE SOMEWHERE. THEY'RE NOT JUST OUT AT HOME OR IN THE STREETS, AND NOT FEELING CARED ABOUT. >> IS THAT A MODEL -- I DON'T KNOW IF WE DO THAT IN APS, BUT MAYBE APS SHOULD LOOK AT IT TO HELP STUDENTS WHO ARE SUSPENDED, TO DO

SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BE IN AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL. >> WE DO HAVE ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS, BUT YOU KNOW THE CHARTER SCHOOL WORLD HAS REALLY FILLED A LOT OF THAT NICHE, WHERE THEY'VE BEEN KICKED OUT OF THE SYSTEM. AND SO YOU HAVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS LIKE TONY'S SCHOOLS WHO HAVE PICKED UP WHERE WE HAVE FAILED. AND SO, HOW DO WE SCALE UP THOSE PROGRAMS? >> YOU MEAN, HOW CAN APS LEARN FROM -- >> HOW CAN APS LEARN FROM NOT ONLY THE CHARTER SCHOOLS, BUT FROM RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO TACKLE IS, AS WE HEARD FROM THE YOUTH WHO WERE DISCONNECTED AT SOME POINT AND WENT TO THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER, OUR SCHOOL THAT IS THERE, THEY ARE ENGAGED IN SCHOOL AND LEARNING, BUT WE HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT AND DONE A GOOD JOB OF TRANSITIONING THAT SCHOOLWORK BACK TO THEIR HOME SCHOOL. INSTEAD WE SAY, YOU'RE GOING BACK TO MANZANO, YOU'RE OUT OF THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER, YOU'RE GOING TO BE ON PROBATION, GOOD LUCK TO YOU GOING BACK TO THIS

LARGE, MASSIVE, COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL WITH NO SUPPORTS. >> AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? >> I THINK A LOT OF WHAT NEED TO LET YOUTH FIGURE OUT THEMSELVES ON THEIR OWN. LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEBODY TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO ALL THE TIME, YOU DON'T GET TO FIGURE OUT WHO YOU ARE INSIDE. I MEAN, THROUGHOUT MY WHOLE TIME IN THE SYSTEM IN AND OUT, AND YOU KNOW, GOING AND TAKING MY COMMITMENT, I FOUND MYSELF IN THERE. HONESTLY, IT WASN'T BECAUSE I FOUND MYSELF THROUGH HELP, I FOUND HELP FROM MYSELF. I KNOW WHENEVER I WENT TO THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER, THERE WAS SCHOOL IN THERE, BUT HONESTLY, I'M GOING TO BE HONEST, IT WAS NOT A SCHOOL TO ME. I SAT THERE AND I LOOKED AND TALKED, AND I JUST FELT LIKE I DIDN'T EVEN GET -- I WAS TOLD THAT YOU HAD TO BE THERE FOR 30 DAYS IN ORDER TO BUILD CREDITS WHILE YOU

WERE IN THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER. >> AND THEN THEY, LIKE, SEND GRADES OUT TO YOUR SCHOOL. >> THEY NEVER DID. >> LIKE, THEY DO, BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME SUBJECT. JUNIOR STUFF, AND THEY'LL BE LIKE 8th GRADE MATH OVER THERE. AND LIKE, THEY CAN'T COUNT IT AS YOUR GRADE, YOU KNOW. SO THAT'S WHERE WE FALL BEHIND. >> SO IT'S ALMOST AN INCENTIVE TO KEEP A CHILD LONGER IN THE DETENTION CENTER SO THEY CAN GET CREDITS WHEN WE KNOW THERE'S NOTHING GOOD THAT COMES OUT OF BEING IN A SECURED DETENTION FACILITY. >> BUT ALSO, LIKE WHEN I WENT TO CAMINO, THEY HAD FOOTHILLS HIGH SCHOOL, AND THAT, TO ME, WAS HOW A HIGH SCHOOL WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. EVEN THOUGH I WAS IN A LOCKED-DOWN FACILITY, I ACTUALLY FELT I GOT THE EDUCATION I NEEDED. I WENT IN THERE WITH 7 CREDITS AND CAME OUT WITH 15, AND THOSE TEACHERS ACTUALLY CARED. THAT'S WHY I ACTUALLY GOT OUT, WANTING TO GO AND DO SCHOOL, BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, I ACTUALLY FEEL SCHOOL, I ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE I'M

GETTING SOMEWHERE. BACK TO PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL, AND IT'S NOTHING. >> I'VE HEARD A LOT OF DISCUSSION TODAY ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR CHILDREN, BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING FOR THOSE WHO STILL HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO THEIR CHILDREN, WHO ARE STILL THE PARENTS AND LEGALLY OBLIGATED, HOW ARE WE INCLUDING THEM, OR HOW ARE WE CONTINUING TO PUSH THEM OUT AND DISENFRANCHISE THEM FROM THOSE THAT THEY LOVE MUCH MORE THAN WE EVER COULD. >> JUDGE, I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION, BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO COMMENT ON THAT. WE'RE ALL AWARE OF SOME OF THE SOCIAL ISSUES DEALING WITH SINGLE PARENTS, AND SOME OF THE POVERTY ISSUES, BUT THAT PARENT, WHAT I REALLY QUICKLY REALIZED IS THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CONNECTION TO THE SCHOOL. THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO JUST WALK IN, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE SPANISH SPEAKING ONLY. THERE SPOKE SPANISH. SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE ABLE TO CATER TO THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL. PLUS, HAVE AN OPEN DOOR. A LOT OF OUR IMMIGRANT PARENTS DID NOT WANT TO COME

IN AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH ME ABOUT THEIR KIDS BECAUSE THEY HAD THIS FEAR THAT I WAS GOING TO DEPORT THEM, WHICH, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO REALLY KIND OF IDENTIFY THAT AND CHANGE THAT THINKING. BUT IT'S ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS, AND THE SCHOOLS REALLY RECOGNIZING WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ACCOMMODATING THAT COMMUNITY. FAMILIES ARE VERY IMPORTANT, AND THE SCHOOL HAS TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THEM. >> SO AS WE WRAP UP, WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP THAT WE NEED TO TAKE? >> I WAS THINKING ABOUT TRAINING, SPECIFIC TRAINING FOR TEACHERS AND STAFF. WHILE I WAS IN THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER, I WAS ACTUALLY DIAGNOSED WITH DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, AND I THINK THAT'S THE TRAINING WE NEED. TEACHERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE DO HAVE CERTAIN DIAGNOSES, AND THAT CERTAIN THINGS CAN SET THEM OFF. EVEN JUST BY TELLING THEM, GO GET YOUR GED, THAT COULD JUST SEND SOMEBODY OFF INTO A WHOLE WORLD OF THINKING. EVEN THE PEOPLE OR THE STAFF

THAT WERE WATCHING ME WHILE I WAS IN CAMINO, IT WAS A BIG ISSUE WE NEED TO LOOK AT, TOO, IS WHAT'S ACTUALLY GOING ON INSIDE THE FACILITIES, BECAUSE NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ANYTHING THAT GOES ON, AND PEOPLE COME OUT CHANGED. I CAME OUT, LIKE, NOT WANTING TO EVER GO BACK BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME IN THERE. >> WHAT WE'RE DESCRIBING HERE IS PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER TO LEARN ABOUT EACH OTHER AND INVOLVING THE AND RIGHT NOW, SORT OF THE TEACHERS, WE'VE KIND OF PUT THEM OVER HERE TO THE SIDE. THEY NEED TO BE A PART OF THIS, TOO, BECAUSE THEY ALSO FEEL DISRESPECTED IN THIS SYSTEM. THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE NOT HEARD, LIKE THEIR NEEDS AREN'T BEING MET, LIKE THEY'RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION. THE PRINCIPALS FEEL THE SAME WAY. >> IF WE WANT TO TRAIN OUR TEACHERS, YES, THAT'S GREAT, WE NEED TO DO IT, BUT WE NEED MORE DAYS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO DO THAT. WE HAVE NOT INCREASED OUR WORKDAY FOR TEACHERS AT 182 DAYS, AND WITHIN THAT THERE'S ONLY A SET AMOUNT OF

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CORE, WHICH INCLUDES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR OTHER THINGS SUCH AS SEXUAL HARASSMENT, TITLE IV. I MEAN, SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS. WE HAVE TO LOOK AS A STATE AT HOW DO WE INCREASE THE NUMBER OF DAYS FOR OUR STUDENTS, POSSIBLY, AND FOR OUR STAFF SO THAT THEY CAN GET ALL THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY NEED. >> THERE'S A TON MORE WE COULD TALK ABOUT, BUT I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING AND TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE. >> I THINK IT'S TIME FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE STUDENTS AND THE CHILDREN AND THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO. >> THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE SHYING AWAY FROM IT BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH THE THINGS THAT WE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT. IT EFFECTS RACE, IT EFFECTS GENDER BIAS, IT EFFECTS ALL THE BIASES THAT WE HAVE IN OURSELVES THAT WE ARE NOT READY TO ENGAGE WITH. IT'S VERY EMOTIONAL FOR PEOPLE, BUT IT'S THINGS THAT ARE EFFECTING OUR STUDENTS, AND ULTIMATELY EFFECTING THE PIPELINE TO PRISON, AND PUSHING STUDENTS OUT FROM

NOT BEING ABLE TO GRADUATE. >> I DON'T THINK OUR COMMUNITY REALLY UNDERSTANDS THE SCHOOL PATHWAYS TO JUVENILE JUSTICE AND ON TO BEING A SCHOOL DROPOUT, BEING INVOLVED IN THE ADULT CRIMINAL SYSTEM, AND THEN BEING INVOLVED IN THE SYSTEM GENERALLY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, AND WHAT COST THAT HAS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. IF WE UNDERSTOOD, IF WE COULD SLAP PEOPLE UPSIDE THE HEAD WITH FIGURES AND NUMBERS, THIS IS WHAT IT'S COSTING YOU AND ME AS TAXPAYERS, I THINK IT WOULD INCITE PEOPLE, OR CAUSE THEM TO SAY, I WANT TO BE PART OF SOMETHING THAT MAKES THIS BETTER. WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. >> IF WE DON'T BELIEVE IN OUR STUDENTS NOW, THEN WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT AS THEY BECOME ADULTS AND AS EVERYONE GETS OLDER, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO AND WHERE WE WANT TO GO. >> I THINK THE BIGGEST THING AT STAKE IS THAT OUR GRADUATION RATE CONTINUES TO DROP, THE DROPOUT RATE CONTINUES TO INCREASE, THE INCARCERATION RATE CONTINUES TO INCREASE, AND ULTIMATELY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO

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