the program I work for, American Indian Education, was moved out of the school district building a few years ago because they “needed the space” (it is still empty) and we were moved to a portable building across the way from the district building. now they have called saying they plan to move us up into the mountains 50 miles away.. If this happens are craft classes, dance and drum classes, and genealogy classes will be at an end because none of our parents and their kids will be able to get up there..
I want to pretend that this is not an act of racist discrimination but I know it is.
Will the parents and community get involved to push back against this?
I am going to talk to my boss and see what he plans to do; hopefully he won’t want to just take the order and leave it at that. We can ask parents to write letters as to why they can’t travel that far but need all the resources we offer but I am not sure what good it will do. We also have tutors who go to some children’s schools and help them with their classwork but if we are based 50 miles away I don’t see how we could manage that at all..
Is there a parent committee? There’s supposed to be one, if it’s under a Title VII program. Letters are a start, but if people are upset about it, it will probably take making a public issue out of it, speaking at school board meetings, etc. The district gets funds for each child and if they are not serving the children per the law they are misusing the funds. This happens in school districts all over the place and it’s only when the community makes a stink that they shape up.
It is a title VII program and there is a parent committee and they will be told. The last time the parent committee made a group complaint it was ignored but hopefully this time it will work.