Two Native American tribes allege discrimination in Montana schools
Two indigenous tribes in Montana are asking the federal government to investigate what they say is systemic racism and discrimination in a public school district on their reservation.
The Assiniboine and Sioux tribes on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana filed a complaint Wednesday with the Justice Department and the Education Department saying that the Wolf Point School District discriminates against native students and "deprives them of basic rights to which they are entitled in school."
The complaint adds that "the unequal treatment of Native students is detrimental to their development and education and violates federal law." According to the 46-page document, the discrimination in the school district, which is state-run and governed by a local school board, is longstanding and includes bullying, racial slurs, discriminatory hiring practices, intolerance of tribal practices and beliefs, disproportionate discipline of nonwhite students and denial of equal educational opportunities, guidance and college counseling to native students.
"We live and reside in the United States," said Roxanne Gourneau, a member of the reservation's tribal executive board, which filed the complaint. "We're not asking for something more. We're asking for equity."
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