Public forum at the Nov. 19 Albuquerque Public Schools board meeting featured personal testimonies from students and community members and formal comments raising regulatory and policy concerns.

Multiple students — including Camila Ramirez (La Academia de Esperanza), Gavin Pennington (Health Leadership High School), Jasmine Sanchez Rojas (Archer Academy) and Vanessa Grubbs (Technology Leadership High School) — described how alternative schools, small campuses or targeted programs helped them recover credits, graduate on time or access internships and leadership opportunities. Camila Ramirez said the school’s supports "gave me hope" and helped her graduate while parenting.

Capt. Meredith DeLong, representing the Marine Corps recruiting station, told board members she believes APS’s online registration opt‑out mechanism (a checkbox) may not meet Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements for written parental opt‑outs and offered to work with APS staff to align the process with federal guidance. A community speaker, Janet Sayers, mentioned APS’s planned audio‑visual purchases in the context of historical recording preservation.

Other speakers urged the board to revisit community‑use policies and make facilities more accessible for neighborhood programs. Board members acknowledged the public comments and said administrative staff would follow up where appropriate.

What happens next: Board forwarded requests for follow‑up on ESSA opt‑out compliance and community‑use policies to administration; public‑forum testimony was incorporated into the president’s report summary.