Residents and educators urge Rio Rancho board to keep classroom ‘safe space’ signage

Dozens of residents, students and district educators used the public-comment period at the Rio Rancho Public Schools board meeting on Oct. 14 to urge the board not to remove rainbow or other identifying imagery from classroom “safe space” signs.

Speakers said the symbols play a concrete role in student safety and mental health. ‘‘Every space should be a safe space for kids,’’ said Elena Maves, a district alum and high-school English teacher, who said she faced slurs and harassment as a student and pointed to teachers who displayed a full-size rainbow flag in class as critical allies. ‘‘You don't create a safe space for all students by removing pride flags from signs,’’ Maves said.

Other commenters described similar experiences and concerns. Madigan Ray, who identified themself as queer, told the board that removing rainbow markers ‘‘politicizes’’ student identity and risks making classrooms hostile for students at higher risk of bullying and self-harm. Lisa Paz, a parent, framed the signs as a practical way for a student in crisis to identify an adult who can help, likening them to looking for a uniformed helper in a crowd.

Representing a statewide perspective, State Representative Kathleen Cates, who said she is a Rio Rancho parent, asked the board to convene a community workshop so the public could weigh in. ‘‘If you had a group that was twice as likely to commit suicide as any other group, I don't know why you would take away a place to communicate to them that you were heard, you were seen, and you are safe in this classroom,’’ Cates said.

Several teachers and staff also urged the board to preserve teachers’ autonomy to display signs. ‘‘When I advocate for the safe space signs … it’s because I don’t want the same reasons I left that school district to be the reason that good educators leave this one,’’ said Andrew Ryan, an educator who described himself as a long-time advocate for the signs.

Board members did not act on the matter during the meeting. President Galbraith read names of online commenters into the record (13 of 15 online submissions were about safe-space signage), and the board reiterated that it cannot respond to public comment items unless they appear on the meeting agenda. Several trustees signaled interest in further deliberation: Representative Kathleen Cates explicitly requested a public workshop, and members suggested more community engagement before any policy change.

The public-comment speakers also included topics outside the signage debate, notably tobacco- and nicotine-policy compliance, which an advocacy manager asked the district to update to meet a recent New Mexico Public Education Department rule. The board’s next substantive step on safe-space signage was not set at the meeting; multiple speakers asked the board to schedule more public conversation and to avoid immediate removal of classroom markers.

The board took no formal action on the signage itself at the Oct. 14 meeting.