PRESS RELEASE
NIEA Releases Statement on House Joint Resolution 57
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    CONTACT
March 7, 2017                                                                  Leah Salgado, [email protected] 

Washington, D.C. - The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) issues the following statement regarding House Joint Resolution 57:

"The Senate will consider a resolution to repeal the accountability regulations that were drafted over the past year under the Obama administration in the coming days. NIEA urges Senators to vote against H.J. Res. 57 so that Native students have the opportunities envisioned in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

The requirement that tribes must be consulted in the development of state plans was a groundbreaking victory in ESSA. Our comments on the regulations praised the direction provided in the draft, which was consistent with the statutory language in ESSA. The final regulations reflected the feedback received on the draft and the bipartisan consensus that led to passage of ESSA. Without them, NIEA is concerned that states may not engage in meaningful consultation with tribes and that tribes and Native advocates may not have a seat at the table.  As we said in our statement about Secretary DeVos, the federal trust responsibility for Native students is paramount. Without these regulations, we are concerned the government's responsibility to ensure Title I and Title VI funds fulfill their purpose will be jeopardized.

We respectfully request that Senators vote no on repeal of the ESSA accountability regulations. Native students deserve nothing less."

About The National Indian Education Association (NIEA)
NIEA is the Nation's most inclusive advocacy organization advancing comprehensive culture-based educational opportunities for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. Formed by Native educators in 1969 to encourage a national discourse on education, NIEA adheres to the organization's founding principles- to convene educators to explore ways to improve schools and the educational systems serving Native children; to promote the maintenance and continued development of language and cultural programs; and to develop and implement strategies for influencing local, state, and federal policy and decision makers. For more information visit www.niea.org.
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