Action Alert! Contact your legislator today to support HB 301 & SB 213

CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS

TO SUPPORT HOUSE BILL 301 (sponsored by Doreen Y. Gallegos & 

Gail Chasey) 

AND SENATE BILL 213 (sponsored by Gay G. Kernan)

Did you know that NMCAN is at the legislative session this year? In partnership with young people and FosterEd New Mexico, they are working to ensure students in foster care get credit for the work they do in school.

You can help make this happen by contacting your legislators to let them know you support Senate Bill 213, which will be discussed during the Senate Education Committee meeting on Wednesday, February 8th at 8:30am.
 

THE ISSUE

Students in foster care are often forced to change schools when they move foster homes or come into care. When students move schools, they typically lose credit for work they did in previous school districts, and each district has unique graduation requirements. As a result, students are not able to graduate on time, and many of them give up and leave school.

THE OPPORTUNITY
SB 213 and HB 301 will address this concern by:

• Allowing high school students who are system-involved and who have moved schools the choice of graduating in four years if they have met state-graduation requirements.
• Ensuring that students in foster care, and other students who move frequently, have the same opportunities as other students.
• Ensuring student records are quickly transferred between districts.

      Learn more and read our FAQs about HB 301 and SB 213 here.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

By Wednesday morning:

1. Call the NM Senate at 505-986-4714 and ask to speak to your Senator's office. Learn who is your legislator here.
2. Tell them: Supporting young people in foster care is important to me. SB 301 is critical to ensuring students in care who move frequently have the same opportunities as other students. They deserve to receive credit for the work they do in school. Please support SB 301.
3. Also call the Senate Education Committee members to reiterate your support of SB 301. Scroll all the way down to see the list of the committee members here.
4. Email Executive Director Ezra Spitzer at Ezra.Spitzer@nmcan.org so he knows you contacted your legislators and so he can keep track of contacts from the NMCAN community.