Native American students from the Havasupai tribe in Arizona have brought a lawsuit against the federal government for failing to provide necessary education support, the Associated Press reported yesterday.
“The U.S. government has dismally failed” in its responsibilities to Native students, according to the lawsuit, filed Thursday with support from the Native American Disability Law Center. The suit demands that the government improve basic general education, special education, wellness and mental health support for students, and inclusion of Native communities in school decision-making. Only an estimated 20 percent of Havasupai Elementary School students end up graduating from high school, according to the complaint, which connects those students to a nationwide crisis for Native communities.
Havasupai Elementary is controlled by the federal Bureau of Indian Education, which oversees 183 schools across 23 states.
