2020 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 22 - Public Schools
Article 15 - Instructional Material
Section 22-15-29 - Instructional materials.

A. A publisher that prints instructional materials for students attending educational institutions shall provide, upon request of the educational institution, any printed instructional materials in an electronic format mutually agreed upon by the publisher and the educational institution.

B. The formats used shall include any nationally recognized standard for conversion of publishing files to braille, such as DAISY/NISO XML.

C. If no nationally recognized standard is appropriate, as determined by the department, publishers shall provide the file in another mutually agreed upon computer or electronic format, such as Microsoft Word, ASCII text or LaTex.

D. The educational institution may use the electronic version of printed instructional materials that is provided pursuant to the Braille Access Act [22-15-26 to 22-15-31 NMSA 1978] to transcribe or arrange for the transcription of the printed instructional materials into an alternate accessible format. The educational institution has the right to provide the alternate accessible format copy of the printed instructional materials to students as permitted by federal copyright law, including the provisions of Section 316 of Public Law 104-197.

E. The electronic version of the printed instructional materials shall:

(1) comply with any applicable federal standard;

(2) otherwise maintain the structural integrity of the printed instructional materials; and

(3) include the latest corrections and revisions of the printed instructional materials as necessary.

F. The publisher shall provide the electronic versions of the printed instructional materials to the educational institution at no additional cost and within ten business days after receipt of a written request that does all of the following:

(1) certifies that the educational institution or the student has purchased the printed instructional materials for use by the student;

(2) certifies that the student is unable to use printed instructional materials;

(3) certifies that the printed instructional materials are for use by the student in connection with a course at the educational institution; and

(4) is signed by the:

(a) person responsible for providing educational services pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act;

(b) coordinator of services for students with disabilities at the educational institution;

(c) person responsible for monitoring the educational institution's compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973; or

(d) vocational rehabilitation counselor responsible for providing services under an individualized plan for employment created pursuant to the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

G. A publisher may require that the request include a statement signed by the educational institution agreeing that:

(1) the electronic copy of the printed instructional materials will be used solely for the student's educational purposes; and

(2) the student or educational institution will not copy, publish or in any other way distribute the printed instructional materials for use by anyone other than the original student, except that the educational institution may provide the instructional materials to another qualifying student who has signed a statement agreeing to the terms contained in this section and unless it is otherwise permitted by federal law.

H. A publisher who manufactures instructional materials using any type of video or audio format, CD ROM [CD-ROM] or other digital format for students attending educational institutions shall, to the maximum extent practicable, upon request, provide an accessible version of the instructional materials or, if an accessible version is not available, provide other electronic versions of the instructional materials, subject to the same conditions and limitations for printed instructional materials.

I. Nothing in the Braille Access Act [22-15-26 to 22-15-31 NMSA 1978] shall be deemed to authorize any use of instructional materials that would constitute an infringement of copyright pursuant to applicable federal copyright law.

History: Laws 2003, ch. 313, § 4.

Cross references. — For Section 316 of Public Law 104-197, see 17 U.S.C.S § 121 and note preceeding 17 U.S.C.S. § 101.

For the Americans with Disabilities Act, see 42 U.S.C.S. 12101 et seq.

For the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, see 29 U.S.C.S. § 701 et seq. Section 504 is codified as 29 U.S.C.S. § 794.

For the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, see 20 U.S.C.