New Mexico provides no oversight of sexual assault between students in schools. A recent case in Hobbs shows what that can mean.
Ed Williams, Searchlight New Mexico
Posted inFeatured
Hobbs police struggle with sex crimes
Police in Hobbs said an alleged rape was consensual. The department has a long, troubled record with sex crimes.
Posted inSexual assault in schools
How we reported on sexual assault in schools
Sexual violence is a particularly difficult topic for investigative reporters to cover. The questions are manifold: How can you verify a story that often has few witnesses, no clear paper trail and contradictory accounts of what happened? What records could establish that an incident was handled improperly by law enforcement or other officials? For any […]
Posted inSexual assault in schools
A middle schooler said she was raped. Then she was suspended from classes.
After a 13-year-old reported sexual assault, she was left to navigate a system where limited state and federal oversight leave school districts to decide how allegations are handled.
Posted inSexual assault in schools
Reporta violación y la suspenden de clases
Read in English. Advertencia de contenido: Esta historia contiene descripciones de acusaciones de agresión sexual que involucran a niños. Si usted o alguien que conoce ha sufrido una agresión sexual, visite la Línea Nacional de Ayuda para Víctimas de Agresión Sexual de RAINN para obtener asistencia. Llame al 800.656.HOPE (4673), chatee en RAINN.org/hotline o envíe un […]
Posted inFeatured
Searchlight New Mexico’s Second Life
Executive Director Bill Church is joined at the table with Searchlight editor Ed Williams as the two talk to Executive Producer Jeff Proctor about the future of the recently acquired investigative news site.
Posted inChild & Family Welfare
New Mexico Supreme Court upholds CYFD policy of taking drug-exposed newborns into custody
The justices rejected a petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and two Democratic state lawmakers to halt the program.
Posted inChild & Family Welfare
Lawsuit alleges Doña Ana County violated public records law, falsified documents
The suit, which centers on Memorial Medical Center, is related to allegations the hospital denied cancer care to uninsured residents.
Posted inChild & Family Welfare
After nearly a year, CFYD resolves contract dispute with behavioral health providers
The dispute between CFYD and a state behavioral health board dragged on for nearly a year, threatening to disrupt care for kids.
Posted inFeatured
CYFD offices by day, shelters by night
With overnight office stays now prohibited, advocates say foster youth spend all day in CYFD offices and leave each night to sleep on couches at youth homeless shelters
