An honor song was performed after the graduation ceremony at Chamberlain High School in South Dakota in May. Still image from YouTube

The Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into the denial of an honor song for Indian graduates in South Dakota.

Indian students make up about 40 percent of the student body in the Chamberlain School District. But the school board has repeatedly denied requests for an honor song at the high school graduation ceremony.

"Really, what it boils down to is it's something they don't want to talk about," James Cadwell, who filed the complaint, told The Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Cadwell, whose grandchildren go to school in Chamberlain, said the school board has barred him from talking about the issue. He's also been told the issue won't be on the agenda for this month's meeting.

Get the Story:
Chamberlain honor song complaint prompts investigation (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 9/16)

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