American Indian Parent Advisory Committee issues non‑concurrence; board accepts recommendations to expand services
Loading...
Summary
APAC voted non‑concurrence with current American Indian Education delivery and asked the district to expand staffing for academic/IEP monitoring, increase American Indian staff visibility, display tribal flags and pursue a native language revitalization grant; the board accepted APAC's vote and asked administration to develop an action plan.
The Hopkins American Indian Parent Advisory Committee (APAC) voted non‑concurrence with the district’s current American Indian Education (AIE) programming and presented specific recommendations to the board on Feb. 24.
APAC coordinator Catherine Soko and cultural associate Deb Andreen described services (cultural lessons, family events, Ojibwe language exposure, graduation blanket ceremony, tuition reimbursement and test prep) and noted strengths in cultural programming, while pointing to persistent gaps in academic outcomes and sense of belonging for American Indian students (147 self‑identified students in the district). APAC said limited staff capacity restricts regular student check‑ins, IEP participation and behavioral supports; Soko said visible American Indian staff representation is low and that tribal flags are not displayed in district buildings.
APAC’s recommendations included expanding AIE staff to provide academic monitoring, regular student check‑ins and IEP/behavior intervention support; increasing visible American Indian staff presence in schools; adding tribal flags and culturally responsive outreach to families about supplemental academic tools; and pursuing a competitive native language revitalization grant to build K‑12 programming. APAC framed the non‑concurrence as a request for growth not as criticism of current staff and programming.
The board unanimously accepted APAC’s non‑concurrence vote and asked administration to develop an action plan within the timeframe required by Minnesota rules; administration and APAC leaders offered to work together on the plan and invited board involvement on next steps. The board also discussed conference opportunities and opportunities to partner with other districts.
What’s next: administration will work with APAC to draft an action plan addressing APAC’s recommendations for board review, and APAC will pursue the native language grant (award notification expected in March).
