Board approves renewed information‑sharing MOU with Washoe Tribe to rebuild student support

The Douglas County School District agreed unanimously to a revised memorandum of understanding with the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California to reestablish information sharing and tribal education services in district schools.

Representatives of the Washoe Tribe described a long‑standing partnership that fell away and expressed a desire to restore services including tutoring, pre‑college advising, home visits for chronically absent students and culturally relevant referrals. "We used to do this all the time... we lost that connection," the tribal representative said. "We're trying to gain access for our students so that we can give them the extra, outside school system support."

Trustees pressed staff on a drafting concern in one provision that as written would have allowed the district to revoke the tribe’s access to student records “without cause and without prior notice.” Board members and legal counsel agreed the language should allow the tribe an opportunity to correct errors before an immediate revocation; the board’s motion approved the MOU "in a form acceptable to DCSD legal counsel."

Washoe officials who attended the meeting said the tribe will continue to work with the district on services aimed at improving outcomes for Native students and the tribe’s education staff will follow required consent processes for information sharing.

The MOU passed on a unanimous vote.