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Central Consolidated Schools responds to Shiprock High classroom artifact with cleansing, ICO recommendations and a planned cultural-policy draft
Summary
Following reports that a human skull-like artifact was found in a Shiprock High School classroom, district Intercultural Community Outreach staff described emergency cleansing ceremonies and proposed a package of cultural-policy changes — including banning funerals in schools, mandating culturally and linguistically relevant instruction and funding holistic services — that the board will draft for first reading at its next meeting.
Central Consolidated Schools held a special board meeting after staff and parents reported a teacher had an artifact resembling a human skull in a Shiprock High School classroom. District intercultural staff said the object was removed and traditional cleansing ceremonies were performed immediately to restore balance; staff and community speakers urged the board to formalize cultural protections and supports.
The district’s Intercultural Community Outreach (ICO) team described a rapid response after a parent reported the item on Nov. 19. "The children, our children, were our first thought when we started this process immediately once we got the information," ICO staff member Doctor Belinda Begay said, explaining why medicine people were brought in quickly and why the district provided students and staff the option to participate in blessings the next morning.
Why it matters: Speakers said the incident caused community trauma and revealed gaps in staff cultural…
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