New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 6 - PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Chapter 68 - SCHOOL PERSONNEL - DENIAL, SUSPENSION, AND REVOCATION OF LICENSE
Part 3 - SUSPENSION, REVOCATION OR OTHER DISCIPLINARY ACTION REGARDING A LICENSE HELD BY A LICENSED SCHOOL INDIVIDUAL
Section 6.68.3.12 - THE HEARING OFFICER'S REPORT TO THE SECRETARY

A. The parties' proposals: The hearing officer shall afford the licensee and the department an opportunity to file proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law by a deadline specified by the hearing officer not to exceed thirty days from the closing of the hearing. The hearing officer may include in or exclude from his or her report to the secretary any portions of the parties' proposed findings, conclusions or order as the hearing officer deems are supported or not supported by the evidence presented at the hearing. Moreover, the hearing officer may revise the submitted proposed findings and conclusions and/or make other findings and conclusions as he or she deems are supported by the evidence at the hearing. No party shall submit post-hearing briefs or proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law after the deadline imposed unless leave to file late is granted by the hearing officer for good cause shown.

B. Contents: After the hearing officer's deadline has elapsed, the hearing officer shall submit a formal written report to the secretary consisting of the following labeled paragraphs: statement of the case, legal issues, proposed findings of fact, proposed conclusions of law, and order proposed by the hearing officer. The hearing officer shall limit his/her proposed order to: denial of the application, acceptance of the application with a condition other than the payment of money, or acceptance of the application.

C. In any disciplinary action of an individual's license(s) brought under authority of the Parental Responsibility Act where the hearing officer recommends disciplinary action against the licensee's license, the hearing officer shall limit his or her proposed findings, conclusions or order to the issues of whether a certified list of obligors from the human services department has been submitted indicating that individual as being in non-compliance of a district court child support order, and whether the human services department has provided to the department a certified statement that the licensee is presently in compliance with that order. The hearing officer and the secretary shall defer to any district court child support order directed to the department relative to a licensee's educator license(s).

D. Time limits: The hearing officer's report along with the parties' briefs and proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law and order, if any, shall be received by the secretary through the office of general counsel, within thirty (30) days after the deadline specified by the hearing officer for the parties' submission of proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. The secretary may extend this time upon request of the hearing officer through the office of general counsel so long as the decision of the secretary is rendered and signed within ninety (90) days after the conclusion of the hearing. The hearing officer shall serve a copy of the report directly on the parties to the hearing, or upon their attorneys, if any, on the same day the hearing officer serves the secretary.

E. The hearing officer's report shall be considered a privileged communication between the department's hearing officer and the secretary not subject to public inspection until the secretary has reviewed the report and rendered a final decision.