What started as a pandemic-era emergency has turned into a statewide scandal.

New Mexico school districts turned to Stride Inc., a national for-profit virtual education company, to serve thousands of rural and Native American students.

But now, Stride stands accused of misreporting attendance, violating teacher-student ratios, neglecting special education students, and putting profit over performance.

In Gallup-McKinley County Schools, where nearly every student qualifies for reduced-price lunch, district officials say that Stride:

Overcounted enrolled students to inflate public funding payouts
Failed to provide licensed teachers or special ed staff as required by law
Assigned teachers more than 200 students at a time
Delivered poor academic outcomes — with math and reading scores dropping sharply.

The district has cut ties and filed lawsuits. But Stride continues to operate in other districts across New Mexico with little state oversight — even signing new contracts this year while under investigation.

We, the undersigned, call on the New Mexico Legislature and the Public Education Department to urgently pass legislation that will:

• Cap student-to-teacher ratios for virtual schools to match state classroom standards
• Mandate transparency in virtual school contracts, enrollment, and teacher credentialing
• Require regular performance audits of virtual schools receiving public dollars
• Prohibit arbitration clauses or nondisclosure agreements in school vendor contracts
• Prioritize Indigenous and rural student protections, especially in high-poverty areas
   

Education should never be about maximizing profit at the expense of students — especially in communities already facing historic underinvestment.

New Mexico families deserve choices in education, but they also deserve accountability, equity, and quality. That won’t happen unless the state acts now to regulate a fast-growing virtual education industry that has already harmed too many.

Sign this petition to demand strong oversight and regulation of virtual schools in New Mexico. Protect public education. Put students first.