Washington - The Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs will conduct a series of regional consultation meetings from August 9th to September 9,2002, to obtain comments, opinions, and ideas that will lead to the establishment of a Negotiated Rulemaking Committee to develop recommendations for proposed regulations under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
The purpose of the regional consultation meetings is to allow tribal officials, parents, teachers, administrators, and educators at Bureau-funded schools and school board members of tribes served by Bureau-funded schools to provide written or oral comments to the Secretary of the Interior on the content of regulations to be issued under Public Law 107-110.
The dates and the cities where the consultation meetings will be held are:
August 9, 2002 Tuba City, AZ August 21, 2002 Ft. Snelling, MN
August 12, 2002 Shiprock, NM August 23, 2002 Pierre, SD
August 13, 2002 Many Farms, AZ August 26, 2002 Choctaw, MS
August 14, 2002 Window Rock, AZ August 28, 2002 Mesa, AZ
August 15, 2002 Ft. Wingate, NM August 30,2002 Portland, OR
August 16, 2002 Albuquerque, NM September 5, 2002 Oklahoma City, OK
August 19, 2002 Bismarck, ND September 9, 2002 Washington, DC
Six sections of the Act that provide for negotiated rulemaking regarding Bureau-funded schools are:
(1) under Section 1124 - establish separate geographic attendance areas for each Bureau-funded school;
(2) under Section 1127 - establish a formula for determining the minimum annual amount of funds necessary to fund each Bureau-funded school;
(3) under Section 1130 - establish a system for the direct funding and support of all Bureau funded schools under the formula established under Section 1127;
(4) under Section 1136 - establish guidelines to ensure the constitutional and civil rights of Indian students regarding their right to privacy, freedom of religion and expression, and due process in connection with disciplinary action;
(5) under Section 1043 - establish a method for the administration of grants under the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988, as amended by Section 1043; and
(6) under Section 1116 (g) - determine Adequate Yearly Progress which is the essential measurement for determining that schools are providing quality education.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs operates 63 elementary and secondary schools and one peripheral dormitory. It provides funding to 108 elementary and secondary schools and, 13 peripheral dormitories that are operated by Indian tribes and tribal organizations under contract/grant through the BIA.
For more information on the consultation meetings, contact: Dalton Henry, Office of Indian Education Programs (202) 208-5820 or write OIEP, Bureau of Indian Affairs, MS-3512-MIB, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240.
