Boost New Mexico is a state-wide coalition of families, educators, and advocates who are coming together to build public schools that reflect what makes New Mexico special—where every child has the opportunity to succeed, every educator is valued, and every family has a voice.
More Coming Soon…
August 5. APS Board of Education Meeting
President and Superintendent’s reports: To clarify the PED has given districts and charters alternatives to Amira, an AI powered assessment that records children’s voices. Districts/charters can select alternatives to implement district-wide; or choose to do the paper and pencil or non-verbal option which is already built into Amira (and does not record voices). See the PED memorandum here. APS has not opted for either safer option. APS is still defaulting to capturing voice recordings. You can individually and with a principal meeting select other options—we see these as barriers for many families. We also believe the form fails to fully inform, in good faith, all parents equitably. Only parents who do their own research would know that AMIRA is an AI-powered platform. APS has also not communicated a process for deleting previously collected student voice data. We want to be clear, that teachers are our partners in this. We have joined the ATF to sound the alarm on the many ways this assessment is not appropriate. The reason this came to light and why we are seeing movement from APS now is because families, teachers and advocates have come together to demand it. Thank you!
Upcoming Board of Education Meetings
Tuesday, August 18 at 6pm. Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education Meeting
Community members are invited to speak during the public comment period. Arrive 10 minutes early to sign up. The meeting is held at LCPS Central Office 505 S. Main Street.
LCPS agendas and minutes can be found at https://www.lcps.net/page/board-documents-new. The public can attend in person or they can watch the livestream at this link. Find your LCPS board member.
Wednesday, August 19 at 5pm. Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education Meeting
For details on how to sign up to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting and what to expect click here! Public comment takes place at the beginning of the agenda and can be done virtually or in person. If you are able,please attend the APS Board meeting in person.
Monday, August 24 at 5:30pm. Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education Meeting
Instructions for online or in-person public comment available here. To livestream the meeting go to RRPS’ YouTube channel. Find your school board member and get more information here. The board meeting will take place at RRPS Board Room, 500 Laser Rd. NE, Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87124.
Other Government Agency Meetings
Thursday, August 20 at 5pm. Local Government Coordinating Commission Meetings
Amira learning application is on the Agenda under “New Business.” To provide virtual or in-person public comment to the Commission, participants must sign up for public comment by 3:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting. This meeting will be held at Vincent E. Griego Chambers, City of Albuquerque Government Center, One Civic Plaza NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. The LGCC is a joint City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and APS Commission made up of elected officials for the purpose of discussing topics of common interest, long-range goals, community needs and other items as requested by the respective bodies.
A Child's Voice Is Not a Product: APS Families Demand An Opt-Out Of AI Recordings
La voz de un niño no es un producto: las familias de APS exigen la opción de excluirse de las grabaciones con IA
Amira is a state mandated assessment AI platform that uses voice recordings to measure the reading fluency of our youngest learners. Rushing unvetted AI apps into our schools benefits private companies with a product to sell. But what about the well being of our students and families? There is growing research into AI that raises grave concerns, including the long term impacts on young children, such as reducing critical thinking, memory, motivation, and persistence -- as well as the serious risks associated with collecting biometric data from children as young as five.
Every APS parent and guardian deserves transparent and safe assessment choices, including non-invasive options that protect students. Until the district puts in place real safeguards families must be able to opt-out of voice recordings.
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La voz de un niño no es un producto: las familias de APS exigen la opción de excluirse de las grabaciones con IA
Amira es una plataforma de evaluación basada en IA, exigida por el estado, que utiliza grabaciones de voz para medir la fluidez lectora de nuestros alumnos más pequeños. Introducir apresuradamente en nuestras escuelas aplicaciones de IA sin verificar beneficia a las empresas privadas que tienen un producto que vender. Pero, ¿qué hay del bienestar de nuestros alumnos y sus familias? Cada vez son más los estudios sobre la IA que suscitan graves preocupaciones, entre ellas los efectos a largo plazo en los niños pequeños, como la reducción del pensamiento crítico, la memoria, la motivación y la perseverancia -- así como los graves riesgos asociados a la recogida de datos biométricos de niños de tan solo cinco años.
Todos los padres y tutores de APS merecen opciones de evaluación transparentes y seguras, incluidas opciones no invasivas que protejan a los alumnos. Hasta que el distrito establezca medidas de protección reales, las familias deben poder optar por no participar en las grabaciones de voz.