The state court lawsuit against a Bernalillo Public Schools teacher, previously reported by The Sandoval Signpost, settled earlier this month though officials remain mum on the details.
But a new federal lawsuit expands on the allegations in the state case and an investigation by the Signpost into the school district’s hiring and disciplinary practices reveal that the district’s own HR director worked for years to keep a teacher with a mounting abuse record in the classroom and blocked discipline attempts by her principal.
A federal lawsuit filed Jan. 27 in U.S. District Court — separate from the state court case the Signpost reported in February — adds new allegations against the teacher during her tenure as a 5th-grade instructor at Bernalillo Elementary School. Other news outlets have reported on the lawsuit but the Signpost is the first to confirm those details and add new context around her internal disciplinary history with personnel and PED investigation records.
BPS records show that as early as 2023, a teacher who inherited many of Martinez’s students from 2022 was among the first to report that students had witnessed troubling behavior in Martinez’s class. Handwritten notes from students documented that the teacher grabbed a student identified as Jane Doe by the neck and wrist, threw books at her, showed the class photos from the girl’s mother’s Instagram account to mock her, and, when the child wet herself after being denied a restroom break, told her she would have to clean it up with a straw because she would not allow a custodian to help. Four classmates provided handwritten statements corroborating the abuse. The state civil lawsuit against the Bernalillo Public Schools District was officially settled earlier this month with the judge acknowledging that the parties “have resolved all controversies and issues.” Details of the settlement were not immediately available.
A director who ran interference…