Parents and community use APS public forum to raise school safety, student‑health and substitute‑teacher concerns

Four community members used the Albuquerque Public Schools public forum on Sept. 3 to raise concerns about student health and safety, medication and mental‑health treatment, and treatment of substitute teachers. Board President Gonzales acknowledged the comments and said the administration is working with the board on related issues.

In person speaker Dr. Sanello described himself as “an alternative health doctor, minister, but also a sports performance coach and nutrition coach,” and urged the board to look into what he described as risks from COVID‑19 injections. “Do you know what's exactly in COVID 19 and what's it doing to your body?” he asked. He made specific claims about immune‑system losses and long‑term health risks, saying, in part, “At this point, you have 25% of your military or immune function left,” and later, “I would encourage all of you guys to look at this because there is, according to medical scientists, there is, between now and they took the shots, an 18 year period waiting period where you can expect bridal cancer, blood clot, and some other cardiovascular damage.” Those statements were made during public comment and reflect the speaker’s views; district staff did not respond during the forum.

On Zoom, Megan Long said she and other parents were frustrated that the district’s state of the district address “completely glossed over the subject of school safety,” and she criticized district communications and leadership responses to reporters. “It just feels like a lot of pass the blame, pass the torch,” Long said. She urged the board to pursue preventive measures to keep students safe rather than actions taken only after incidents occur.

Renee Pacheco said she had read reporting linking youth use of antipsychotic drugs to school shootings and urged the district to address medication, mental health screening and prevention. Pacheco cited a count she attributed to Education Week: “229 shootings since 02/2018. 39 in 2024, 38 in 2023, 51 in 2022,” and asked what APS is doing to help both victims and students who commit acts of violence.

A speaker identified as Daniel, who said he is a former substitute teacher, urged the district to address what he described as discrimination and reprisals against substitutes who report suspected child abuse or misconduct. “We are so shorthanded because they are firing them or getting rid of them because they have filed complaints against the schools and staff members,” he said. He described an incident he said involved a student being injured and said complaints are “being swept under the rug.”

Board President Gonzales closed the public forum portion by thanking speakers and saying the board and administration are working on related issues. The board did not take action on items raised during public forum at the Sept. 3 meeting; public forum is a time for residents to speak rather than for board dialogue or immediate board decisions, as the board secretary explained at the start of the forum.

Why it matters: Public forum provides community members a formal opportunity to raise safety, health, and personnel concerns directly to the board. Several speakers asked the board to pursue preventive measures and clearer responses to safety and staff‑reporting issues.

What’s next: Board President Gonzales said the administration is working with the board on related issues; no formal board action was taken on the specific items raised during public forum at this meeting.