Dear Editor,
Our union testified in support of two pieces of legislation Feb. 10 – one relating to recruitment of more nurses to our schools and a second bill which seeks to clarify and better-define parameters when it comes to restraint and seclusion in our schools.
First up was House Bill 195, which seeks to align school nurse salaries to the salaries provided for licensed teachers on the three-tier system. The legislation would also provide an additional differential for nurses who are nationally board certified (similarly to how nationally board certified teachers receive a differential under current law).
Many school districts already have aligned salary tiers for nurses to the three-tier system, however, for those smaller or more rural districts, legislation like HB 195 could help recruit nurses to those positions by better matching salaries in the private sector.
AFT New Mexico supports having highly trained nurses in all schools in New Mexico and supports HB 195 as a method to achieve this goal. No vote was taken Feb. 10 on the legislation to allow the sponsor to prepare an amendment which would provide an appropriation for enacting the bill. We expect a final vote to be taken later in the week.
The second piece of legislation debated Feb. 10 was HB 260. The work of a two-year task force of advocates, educators, and lawmakers, HB 260 would amend existing law to clearly define what constitutes restraint and seclusion, including which actions are allowed, and which are prohibited in public schools. It also amends and adds definitions such as elopement and physical escort.
The legislation would prohibit chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, prone restraint, and seclusion without continuous line-of sight supervision.
AFT New Mexico supports House Bill 260 because it seeks to better define, train, and equip educators, students, and parents with reasonable guardrails around uses of restraint and seclusion in public schools. While there were several definitions where both supporters and opponents of HB 260 identified potential tightening of language, the sponsors agreed to work on those concerns between committee hearings. The measure passed committee on a partisan vote of 6-4.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Senate Education Committee will hear Senate Bill 125 Feb. 12. This bill seeks to prioritize HVAC projects in school statewide and remove the need for a local school district financial match with the goal of better cooling our schools during periods of high heat. There is a vast body of research proving that overheated classrooms negatively impact student learning, and providing more comfortable classrooms is a win for both students and educators.
SB 125 also asks that a school district’s utilization of the capital outlay funds to meet immediate needs for HVAC upgrades would not jeopardize their existing placement for other capital needs, such as building reconstruction.
Finally, since refrigerated air systems require more energy than evaporative cooling, SB 125 asks that solarization projects be included as acceptable school improvements in the capital outlay fund application.
AFT New Mexico supports SB 125.
Sincerely,
