The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit handed down a historic ruling confirming that the federal government can be held accountable for its failure to provide general education to Native American students. Read the ruling HERE.
Briefs Filed in Appeal Seeking to Ensure Educational Rights and Accountability for Native American Students – Read the Opening Brief HERE.
A group of student plaintiffs and the Native American Disability Law Center filed their opening brief in the 9th United States Court of Appeals. The brief seeks to reverse a court decision that prevented the students from challenging the Bureau of Indian Education’s failure to comply with discrete legal requirements at Havasupai Elementary School. The Havasupai Tribe, as well as several organizations and professors, filed amicus briefs in support of the plaintiffs.
Historic Settlement Reached in Advancing the Educational Rights of Native American Students – Read the Settlement HERE.
This landmark federal lawsuit, Stephen C. v. BIE, is brought by nine child plaintiffs and the Native American Disability Law Center to hold the BIE accountable for providing quality education to Native children.
Among one of the key wins in the settlement is the BIE has issued the first-ever national policy implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, an anti-discrimination law the BIE admits it must comply with. The policy includes how to identify, evaluate and provide accommodations to students with disabilities, including those exposed to childhood trauma to ensure they are provided equal access to education.
All parties are currently working on implementation of the settlement.
**The photographs of Havasupai children above were taken by Lois Hirst, and originally published in the book I am the Grand Canyon by Stephen Hirst.
