Stefani Lord, a representative for New Mexico's House District 22, said that Democrats rejected a "crucial amendment" to a student behavior response bill. This amendment would have permitted "extensively trained School Resource Officers to utilize mechanical or prone restraints in critical situations." Lord made this statement on the social media platform X on February 27.

"What kind of world are we living in where a child can bring a dangerous weapon to a school and exhibit violent behavior and the school employees can't restrain the child in certain ways for the safety of everyone involved," said Lord, State Representative. "It's a troubling reality that raises so many questions about our society and the measures we take to keep people safe. Republican Rep. Brian Baca has introduced a crucial amendment that empowers extensively trained School Resource Officers to utilize mechanical or prone restraints in critical situations where there is imminent danger. HB 260 is an outrageous bill that jeopardizes the safety of both teachers and students."

According to the introduced version of House Bill 260, representatives Eleanor Chavez, Yanira Gurrola, and E. Diane Torres-Velasquez proposed legislation that limits the use of physical restraint in schools. The bill prohibits seclusion, chemical restraint (using medications to control behavior or movement), mechanical restraint, and prone restraint. Physical restraint is only allowed if less restrictive interventions fail to address imminent danger of physical harm and if the student's behavior presents an imminent danger of serious physical harm to themselves or others. It may also be used if a student is attempting to run away and less restrictive interventions are ineffective.

Screenshot of State Representative Stefani Lord's Feb. 27 post on X | X

The amendment proposed by Republican Representative Brian G. Baca sought to allow school resource officers or security officers trained in restraint techniques to use mechanical or prone restraints under specific circumstances. However, as Lord noted in her post on X, this amendment was not adopted by the state House.

Coverage from Yahoo.com included educators' perspectives stating that current laws regarding teacher responses to student behavioral issues are confusing. The New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Council highlighted that special education students are more frequently affected by restraint and seclusion policies. While the council sees potential positive changes from the bill, they also expressed a need for clearer explanations regarding what practices the bill aims to eliminate.

Stefani Lord is a Republican politician from Albuquerque and founder of Pro-Gun Women, an organization advocating for Second Amendment rights. She was re-elected in 2024 to represent House District 22 and is known for her advocacy of gun rights and government accountability. Lord actively engages with her constituents on issues related to personal freedoms.