New Mexico Statutes Chapter 9. Executive Department § 9-2A-8.2. Prohibition on employment for individuals with substantiated allegations of child abuse or neglect; prohibition on convicted felons; disciplinary action; confidentiality of abuse and neglect records

A. No employee, staff member or volunteer at the department, including prospective employees, having direct unsupervised contact with department clients, nor the superiors of any such employee, staff member or volunteer, shall have been the subject of a substantiated allegation of child abuse or neglect.

B. No employee, staff member or volunteer at the department who has direct unsupervised contact with department clients, or the superiors of an employee, staff member or volunteer at the department who has direct unsupervised contact with department clients, shall have been convicted of a felony offense that is directly related to the job duties of the employee by a court of this state, any other state or the United States.

C. Any employee or staff member subject to the Personnel Act who has been the subject of a substantiated allegation of abuse or neglect as investigated and determined by the department may be subject to increased supervision or disciplinary action under the Personnel Act.  1 Upon appeal of a disciplinary action to the personnel board pursuant to this section, the personnel board shall defer to the record of the administrative hearing affirming a substantiated allegation of abuse or neglect, if one exists, in determining whether the action taken by the agency was with just cause.

D. An employee or a staff member of the department subject to dismissal under this section shall have no right to progressive discipline as a condition precedent to discipline under this section.

E. In any appeal of an employee or staff member to the personnel board as provided by the Personnel Act, records that are otherwise confidential pursuant to the Abuse and Neglect Act shall be discoverable by the parties and admissible as to any relevant fact; provided that any identifying information related to the reporting party, any other party providing information and information the department finds would be likely to endanger the life or safety of any person providing information to the department may be redacted.