After years of documented instances of anti-Native racism — including the use of racial slurs and harmful stereotypes by white administrators, faculty, and staff — in a school where 94 percent of Native students are below proficiency in reading, compared to 49 percent of white students, the U.S. Department of Education is starting an investigation into discrimination against Native students in Montana’s Wolf Point School District.
Investigators with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will be visiting with Native students and parents in Montana’s Wolf Point School District this coming week. The visit is integral to the federal government’s investigation into a discrimination complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights in 2017 by Indian Law, Juvenile Law, Racial, and Indigenous Justice lawyer Melina Healey (representing the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes) and the ACLU of Montana.
“As Native youth, we want — and deserve — what every other youth wants,” said Ruth Fourstar, a senior at Wolf Point High School, in a press release. “We want access to a meaningful education, to be treated equally, and for our culture to be recognized and respected. Education is a tool for us to show our strength and wisdom. I hope that the Office of Civil Rights investigation will help all the youth in our community benefit from the education system.”
“This discrimination is harming a whole generation of Native youth,” said Caitlin Borgmann, Executive Director with the ACLU of Montana. “It’s wrong to deprive these children of the education they deserve, and it’s heartbreaking to see the hurt that it’s causing children and their families. It’s past time to ensure that Native communities see justice.”
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