State AG says Vegas schools incorrectly withheld files
Suspended Robertson volleyball coach sought records in employment dispute
Las Vegas City Schools in Las Vegas, N.M., violated state law by withholding employment records from suspended Robertson High School volleyball coach Stacy Fulgenzi, according to a letter the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office sent to the district this week.
Fulgenzi has been on administrative leave from her coach and health teacher positions since October. Her sister, Dawn C’de Baca, said then the leave was related to an incident in which Fulgenzi organized a fundraiser but did not submit proper request forms or hand over money to the district within 24 hours.
According to the letter from the Attorney General’s Office, Fulgenzi submitted a public records request Oct. 28 for documents related to her employment dispute. Las Vegas City Schools responded Dec. 11 by providing 915 pages of heavily redacted documents.
Over the next five days, the district gave Fulgenzi an additional 290 pages of documents, including a notice it was placing her on administrative leave and a notice of its intent to discharge her from her positions, according to the letter.
The Attorney General’s Office said the district violated the state Inspection of Public Records Act by missing deadlines for fulfilling Fulgenzi’s records request and by unnecessarily redacting documents — including articles from The New Mexican, copies of state law and social media posts — without providing an adequate written explanation.
“The District violated [The Inspection of Public Records Act] in several respects,” Assistant Attorney General John Kreienkamp said in the letter. “The extent of these violations of the law raises enormous concerns as to the District’s conduct and decision-making process.”
Las Vegas City Schools Superintendent Larryssa
Archuleta said Wednesday the district will respond to the Attorney General’s Office within the next few days.
“The Las Vegas City Schools is a district who adheres to requirements and is committed to doing so,” Archuleta said in an email.
C’de Baca said in an email Monday that Fulgenzi has a hearing scheduled before the school board Feb. 11 regarding Archuleta’s intent to dismiss her from both jobs.
Fulgenzi coached at Robertson for the past four seasons, guiding the volleyball team to two Class 4A runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2017 before the school moved down to 3A in 2018. The Lady Cardinals won the state title in November, with Fulgenzi watching from the floor.