BULLYING PREVENTION: PROVIDING SAFE SCHOOLS FOR ALL STUDENTS

The Safe Schools for All Students Act, passed during the 2019 New Mexico Legislature, repealed and replaced § 22-2-21 NMSA 1978 and created § 22-35 NMSA. New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) 6.12.7 was amended in response to this new law. By January 1 ,2020 each school board or governing body shall adopt bullying prevention policies that reflect these changes. The Safe Schools for All Students Policy Framework has been created to assist in that process. Please see the Safe Schools for All Students Policy Framework here.

RESOURCES

I Am A Witness Anti-Cyberbullying Campaign

United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Letter

Bullying Prevention Assurance
10 Questions Parents Can Ask to Ensure a Bully-Free School

Center for Disease Control and Prevention, School Violence: Prevention Tools and Resources

Bullying, Harassment, & Civil Rights: An Overview of School Districts’ Federal Obligation to Respond to Harassment – This video, developed collaboratively by USDE, DOJ, and SAMHSA, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, outlines school districts’ federal obligations to respond to harassment.

Bullying Factsheet

New Mexico Department of Health

• COVID-19 Safe Practices
• COVID-19 Testing Pre-Registration System
• COVID-19 Vaccine Registration System

New Mexico Public Education Department COVID-19 Response Toolkit for Public Schools

• Toolkit

Vault Health At-Home COVID-19 Testing

• Order Individual COVID-19 Test Kit (Vault Health)

Teledentistry Resources (byteme.com)

FEDERAL DEFINITION OF A HOMELESS CHILD OR YOUTH

Students who qualify for this program include children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

The term includes—Children and youths who are:

• sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as “doubled-up”);
• living in motels, hotels, RV parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
• living in emergency or transitional shelters; or
• abandoned in hospitals;
• Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
• Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
• Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.

If, due to a loss of housing, a child must live in a shelter, motel, vehicle, or campground, on the street, in abandoned buildings, or doubled-up with relatives or friends, then they are eligible to receive services provided under the McKinney-Vento Act.

HOMELESS LIAISONS FOR NEW MEXICO DISTRICTS AND CHARTERS

According to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), every school district or state charter school must have a designated homeless liaison, regardless of whether or not the school district or state charter school receives McKinney-Vento funding.

Each local educational agency liaison for homeless children and youths, shall ensure that —

• homeless children and youths are identified by school personnel and through coordination activities with other entities and agencies;
• homeless children and youths enroll in, and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in, schools of that local educational agency;
• homeless families, children, and youths receive educational services for which such families, children, and youths are eligible, including Head Start and Even Start programs and preschool programs administered by the local educational agency, and referrals to health care services, dental services, mental health services, and other appropriate services;
• the parents or guardians of homeless children and youths are informed of the educational and related opportunities available to their children and are provided with meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children;
• public notice of the educational rights of homeless children and youths is disseminated where such children and youths receive services under this Act, such as schools, family shelters, and soup kitchens;
• enrollment disputes are mediated; and
• the parent or guardian of a homeless child or youth, and any unaccompanied youth, is fully informed of all transportation services, including transportation to the school of origin, and is assisted in accessing transportation to the school.

Request for Application Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program

NEW MEXICO LAWS

• Transportation of Students Experiencing Homelessness
• School Discipline Policies and Student Rights and Responsibilities
• Immunization Requirements
• Partial Credit for High School Courses for Students Who Experience Disruption

For more information, please contact Debbie Vigil, our Homeless Liaison.

IMMUNIZATIONS

Print your child’s shot record at www.VaxViewNM.org.

• 2021-2022 SY School and Daycare Immunization Schedule Letter
• Protect Your Child with Vaccines
• NM Department of Health Information on Immunization Requirements

• Medicaid Parental Annual Notification
• MBBS Consent Form
• IDEA Part B: Written Notification Regarding Use of Public Benefits or Insurance, June 11, 2013
• Individualized Healthcare Plans and the Individualized Education Program Memorandum 2015

The New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS) is a tool to assess the health risk behaviors and resiliency (protective) factors of New Mexico high school and middle school students. The YRRS is part of the national CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), but the survey results have widespread benefits for New Mexico at the state, county, and school district levels.

ADDICTION TREATMENT: WHAT FAMILIES NEED TO KNOW

Social and Emotional Resources

• How to Take Care of Your Mental Health During Social Isolation
• Countering COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Stigma and Racism: Tips for Parents and Caregivers
• 5 Easy Ways to Reduce Coronavirus Anxiety
• How to Talk to Children About Coronavirus
• Help Loved Ones with Anxiety
• Helping Youth Experiencing Homelessness