{"id":302,"date":"2020-09-14T08:34:39","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T13:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/w\/?p=302"},"modified":"2020-09-14T12:29:06","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T17:29:06","slug":"302","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/14\/302\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Trump administration faulted for lack of consultation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item\"src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MP2sf_-288M\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=figure-caption>House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/MP2sf_-288M>Examining the Bureau of Indian Education\u2019s School Reopening Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic &#8211; September 10, 2020<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<h1>Critics: Feds reopened tribal schools without asking or advising tribes<\/h1>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, September 14, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=byline>By Calah Schlabach<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON &#8211; Lawmakers and tribal leaders berated the Bureau of Indian Education on Thursday for a school reopening plan that prioritizes in-person learning, despite tribes&#8217; opposition to the plan in the face of COVID-19 health concerns.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nWhen the BIE released its &#8220;Return to Learn!&#8221; plan in late August, it was &#8220;in effect doubling down on the very position that drew strong criticism from Indian Country in early August,&#8221; said Joe Garcia, co-chair of an education subcommittee for the National Congress of American Indians.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nGarcia and other witnesses also told the House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing that they were left with less than a month to prepare for a September 16 in-person reopening date after the BIE guidelines went out in late August.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nThe Bureau of Indian Education did not send a representative to \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/hearings\/examining-the-bureau-of-indian-educations-school-reopening-guidance-during-the-covid-19-pandemic\">the hearing<\/a>\r\nbecause it was being held virtually, said Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, a move he sharply criticized.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;It is a dereliction of the federal trust responsibility for the BIE to refuse to be here to discuss how to protect Native students just because the hearing isn&#8217;t happening in person,&#8221; said Gallego, the chairman of the subcommittee.<p><\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/playlists\/1128415960&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=true&#038;show_comments=false&#038;show_user=false&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=false\"><\/iframe><div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\" title=\"indianz\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">indianz<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\/sets\/examining-the-bureau-of-indian-educations-school-reopening-guidance-during-the-covid-19-pandemic\" title=\"Examining the Bureau of Indian Education\u2019s School Reopening Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Examining the Bureau of Indian Education\u2019s School Reopening Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic<\/a><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=figure-caption>Indianz.Com Audio: <a href=https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\/sets\/examining-the-bureau-of-indian-educations-school-reopening-guidance-during-the-covid-19-pandemic>House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States &#8211; Examining the Bureau of Indian Education\u2019s School Reopening Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic &#8211; September 10, 2020<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nThe agency first told tribes on August 6 that it planned to reopen the 55 BIE-operated schools on September 16, using school buildings &#8220;to the maximum extent possible.&#8221; The letter also said remote learning could be allowed in areas that experience increased COVID-19 spread.<p><\/p>\r\nAnother 128 schools that receive BIE funding but are tribally run were allowed more flexibility, but were still supposed to use the agency&#8217;s recommendations as a guideline for reopening. The BIE-run and BIE-funded schools combined serve more than 40,000 students in 23 states.<p><\/p>\r\nRep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., the sole Republican to speak during the hearing, quoted an American Academy of Pediatrics report that schooling decisions &#8220;should start with the goal of having students physically present in school.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\nThat report also warned against prematurely reopening schools, but Stauber focused on the overall claim that in-person learning is better than remote education and that remote learning disproportionately affects already-disadvantaged groups.<p><\/p>\r\nNo one in the meeting disagreed, but they all testified that in the current pandemic, tribal leaders&#8217; concerns for the health of their communities should take precedence.<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;Our teachers are strong and adaptable and missed their students very much. Our students are capable and ready. Thanks for a great first week online Eagles! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Accept?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Accept<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Adapt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Adapt<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Aspire?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Aspire<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Achieve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Achieve<\/a>&quot; &#8211; Navajo Preparatory School<br><br>Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/returntolearn?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#returntolearn<\/a> here: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XG2DZ3rpeD\">https:\/\/t.co\/XG2DZ3rpeD<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5BmjqAVQoR\">pic.twitter.com\/5BmjqAVQoR<\/a><\/p>&mdash; BureauIndianEdu (@BureauIndianEdu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BureauIndianEdu\/status\/1300867627804504064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 1, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/returntolearn.bie.edu\/return-to-learn-plan\">latest plans<\/a>\r\ncap months of missteps by BIE, critics said, beginning in spring when the agency moved slowly to close schools, a move Gallego said ended with the deaths of some school employees.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSue Parton, president of the Federation of Indian Service Employees, said her members also faced a lack of information or &#8220;mixed messaging&#8221; from officials in the spring.<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;They were getting guidelines from the federal government and as federal employees, they felt compelled to follow the guidelines of the federal government, but then they would get a different set of guidelines from the state governor wherever their school is located,&#8221; Parton said. &#8220;And quite often, they would get other guidance from the tribal leaders, if they were located on or near a reservation. So they started calling the union saying, what do we do? Who do we follow?&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\nGallego said such &#8220;hiccups may have been understandable in March,&#8221; but he called it &#8220;disturbing that we&#8217;re seeing those same problems arise in September, when BIE has had months to prepare.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\nLance Witte, superintendent and principal of Lower Brule Schools in South Dakota, said his BIE grant-funded schools were able to reopen this fall using a hybrid model only because they had put their plan in place &#8220;long before the guidelines were released, based on conversations with tribes and local public schools.&#8221; That plan calls for the majority of students learning remotely at any given time.<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;We had a GREAT first day at Tucker Elementary! It was wonderful to see students back in the desks! (We think they were glad to be back, too!)&quot;- Tucker Elementary School, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/returntolearn?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#returntolearn<\/a> here: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XG2DZ3rpeD\">https:\/\/t.co\/XG2DZ3rpeD<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/z0iL27757q\">pic.twitter.com\/z0iL27757q<\/a><\/p>&mdash; BureauIndianEdu (@BureauIndianEdu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BureauIndianEdu\/status\/1300861647150559234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 1, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nLower Brule&#8217;s hybrid model is only possible because the school &#8220;took a very aggressive move,&#8221; using CARES Act funding to install broadband for school families. But even that plan was delayed when the district did not receive the funding until June 29 &#8211; a reminder of the chronic underfunding of BIE schools, Witte said.<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Unfortunately, this pandemic-related impact merely compounds the annual funding crisis we face because of federal underfunding,&#8221; he said.<p><\/p>\r\nRep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, pointed to that underfunding as evidence of the &#8220;second-class status given to the 42,000 students that utilize BIE.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;The hardest-hit, most impactful in terms of infection and mortality per capita has been in Indian Country, and yet we&#8217;re being asked to rush this,&#8221; Grijalva said of the BIE&#8217;s reopening plan.<p><\/p>\r\nGallego said BIE is welcome to come back and defend its plan any time it wants.<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;We understand the stakes of the public health crisis we&#8217;re in,&#8221; Gallego said of the decision to hold a virtual hearing. &#8220;From the refusal (to appear), it&#8217;s clear that the BIE does not understand those stakes, which is why I&#8217;m extremely concerned about their ability to oversee safety openings at BIE-run schools this fall.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>. \r\n<\/STRONG>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR>\r\n<EM>Note: This story originally  <a href=https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2020\/09\/10\/critics-feds-reopened-tribal-schools-without-asking-or-advising-tribes\/>appeared \r\non Cronkite News<\/a>. It  is published via a <A \r\nhref=http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/>Creative \r\nCommons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A \r\nhref=\"\/m.asp?url=http:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism \r\nand Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"\/m.asp?url=http:\/\/www.asu.edu\/\">Arizona \r\nState University<\/A>.<\/EM> \r\n<HR>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bureau of Indian Education failed to send a witness to a hearing on reopening Indian schools in the age of COVID-19.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,20,1,14],"tags":[50,117,52,5,46,118,121,122,49,48,119,123,7,125,126,124,51,120],"class_list":["post-302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-health","category-indian-trust","category-national","category-politics","tag-116th","tag-bia","tag-bie","tag-coronavirus","tag-cronkite-news","tag-doi","tag-employment","tag-fisn","tag-hnrc","tag-house","tag-joe-garcia","tag-lance-witte","tag-ncai","tag-pete-stauber","tag-raul-grijalva","tag-ruben-gallego","tag-scip","tag-sue-parton","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/navajonation-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/scoJ7g-302","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}