EDUCATION OF NATIVE/INDIAN CHILDREN

Intent

Title 20 of the United States code mandates that school districts receiving Impact Aid funds have a policy ensuring all parents and community members, including federally-recognized tribes, have the opportunity to submit their views and engage in active consultation relating to the district's education and cocurricular programs.  Under the No Child Left Behind Act, it is the law’s intent to encourage the maximum participation by American Indian/Alaska Natives in the planning and management of American Indian/Alaska Native education programs.

The nature of the relationship between the United States and tribes is highlighted by the federal government’s trust responsibility.  This means the federal government is obliged to protect tribal sovereignty and provide other services, such as education.  Most legislation enacted by Congress involving Indians and Tribes references this trust responsibility.  No Child Left Behind says, “It is the policy of the United States to fulfill the federal government’s unique and continuing trust relationship with and responsibility to the Indian people for the education of Indian children.”  Consultation is one form of honoring the trust responsibility and the federal government requires local education agencies (LEAs) to help fulfill this commitment when administering funds on behalf of the federal government, such as Impact Aid.

Community and Parental Involvement

Abiding by Title 20, the School Board will provide an opportunity for all parents and community members, including federally-recognized tribes, to be meaningfully involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of each school's educational and cocurricular programs. The School Board will mutually enter into Indian Policies and Procedures (IPP’s) with all interested parties, including federally-recognized tribes, which are incorporated into and adopted as the policy of the Board.  In addition, the following procedures will be used:

1. The School Board will designate the Indian Policy and Procedures Committee as the body responsible for implementing this policy.  The Committee will be comprised of the following members:
   
   
   1. A representative from the School Board
   2. A representative from the School District Administration
   3. A staff or council representative from Ketchikan Indian Community
   4. A staff or council representative from the Organized Village of Saxman
   5. A representative from the Indian Education Board
   6. A student member
   7. One at-large community member
      
      
2. At an annual meeting of the Indian Policy and Procedures Committee called for that specific purpose, the district administration or its designee will present an overview of the district’s education programs including curriculum (course description, scope and sequence), program evaluation procedures, and co-curricular programs.  The overview will include detailed data describing American Indian/Alaska Native student involvement in the education and cocurricular programs.  Following the annual meeting, parents and community members, including federally-recognized tribes, will have no less than 30 days to provide written responses.
   
   
3. At least two weeks prior to the annual meeting of the IPP Committee, public notice will be given through newspapers, public posting, tribal offices, and radio announcements, where appropriate, stating the agenda and purpose of the meeting. To further insure community involvement an electronic announcement will be sent to the federally-recognized tribes.  The annual meeting shall not be scheduled at such a time that it would conflict with traditional harvest periods and culturally-significant events.
   
   
4. During the planning and development of local education programs as they relate to the Impact Aid application, all parents and community members including federally-recognized tribes, will be actively consulted in the following manner:
   
   
   1. At each IPP Committee meeting where Impact Aid program applications for financial assistance are reviewed, all parents and community members, including federally-recognized tribes, will be given an opportunity to comment on whether Indian children participate on an equal basis in the district’s educational programs.
      
      
   2. Parents and community members, including federally-recognized tribes, will have an opportunity to make recommendations concerning the needs of their children.
      
      
   3. Parents and community members, including federally-recognized tribes, will be given the opportunity to comment on the way in which the school district can assist their children in realizing the benefits to be derived from the educational program.
      
      
   4. After reviewing comments from parents and community members, including federally-recognized tribes, the IPP Committee will provide written recommendations for modifications, if necessary, to the educational programs and policies as they relate to the equal participation of Indian children in the district’s educational programs.                                        
      
      (cf. 6020 - Parent Involvement)

Nondiscrimination

The School District follows all federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination.

(cf. 0410 - Nondiscrimination in District Programs and Activities)
(cf. 4030-Nondiscrimination in Employment)

Educational Program

The primary purpose of the educational program is to provide experiences by which individuals will learn within the context of their needs as well as the broader needs for which the district shares a responsibility.  Under this assumption, the school is viewed as a link between the individual and learning resources and experiences available to meet both short and long range needs.  To encourage the strongest and most viable linkage, the Board recommends:

1. A program which is individualized to the maximum extent and which provides as many options as possible within the educational goals of the Board of Education’s Strategic Plan.
   
   
2. An organization plan by grade level or function which considers local expectations and efficiency of operation rather than an arbitrary pattern of organization.  Individualization of program for students and optimum staff utilization demands an organizational plan based upon statement performance, skill grouping, and activity grouping rather than a rigid grouping by age, sex, or other non-educational basis.
   
   
3. A staff utilization procedure which establishes specific personnel needs based upon the programs requirements.  All persons, directly or indirectly effect the school operation.  Certificated, classified and resource personnel, as well as students in certain circumstances, are considered in developing procedures for staff utilization.
   
   
4. A guidance and individual program planning effort which assures the widest choice of alternatives to individual students over their period of formal education.  Emphasis will be upon bringing the student in direct contact with those educational experiences and resources which best meet short or long range needs.
   
   
5. An assessment program which uses both subjective and objective measures in determining student performance and the effectiveness of the school program in achieving learning objectives. This program is an integral part of the guidance function and requires both the involvement and understanding of students and parents in its development.
   
   
6. A wide range of learning materials and techniques which will meet the needs of students and of those responsible for instructional or learning activities. Special consideration must be given to unique cultural and language requirements. Audio and video materials, as well as print materials, are particularly important to the concepts- of individualization and maximum learning options.
   
   
7. A program for bringing students, schools and communities together in various educational, cultural, and recreational activities.  The Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) is recognized as the authority for all high school interscholastic activities.  The district accepts as binding all ASAA rules and regulations for membership and competition.  All activities will be made available to students on a nondiscriminatory basis.
   
   
8. Maximum use of community resources as an integral part of the curriculum.  Budgetary and administrative procedures should promote this utilization with standards established at the district and community level.
   
   
9. A continuous program of curriculum development at the community and district level.  In this way the program will remain dynamic from both a content and organizational standpoint.  Innovative or pilot efforts should be encouraged within whatever constraints must be applied to afford protection of students from potentially harmful experimentation.
   
   
10. That in those areas which may be viewed as controversial, instructional procedures will be confined to a body of factual information with acceptance or interpretation left to the student.  Religion is recognized as an important historic element but specific religion responsibility rests with the home and church.  The Advisory Committee and parents should play a major role in determining how controversial issues will be handled BEFORE SPECIFIC CONTROVERSIES OR ISSUES ARISE.  Areas often found as the source of controversy are sex education, alcohol, and drug education.
    
    
11. Special programs, such as Title 1, Migrant Education, and Indian Education be designed, implemented and evaluated with input from parents and teachers of involved students.  Specific activities may include but are not limited to:
    
    
    1. Notifying each child's parents and teachers in a timely manner that the child has been selected to participate in the program.
    2. Informing parents and teachers of specific objective of the program.
    3. Establishment of parent-teacher conferences.
    4. Providing materials, suggestions and training to enable parents to promote education at home.
    5. Providing timely information concerning the program's plans and evaluations.
    6. Soliciting parents and teacher suggestions in planning and operating the program.
    7. Facilitating volunteer or paid participation by parents in school activities.
    8. Establishing parent advisory committees.

Legal Reference:

UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 20
236-244  Financial Assistance to Local Educational Agencies (PL 81-874)

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, P.L. 107-110 (2002)

KETCHIKAN GATEWAY BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Adopted:  5/09/2012
Revision Date:  10/26/2012