Comment on Indian schools face decayed buildings, poverty

Indian schools face decayed buildings, poverty

(AP) — On a desert outpost miles from the closest paved road, Navajo students at the Little Singer Community School gleefully taste traditional fry bread during the school's heritage week. The school, which serves 81 students, consists of a cluster of rundown classroom buildings containing asbestos, radon, mice, mold and flimsy outside door locks. [...] the endeavor is complicated by disrepair of so many buildings, not to mention a federal legacy dating to the 19th century that for many years forced Native American children to attend boarding schools. Students often come from families struggling with domestic violence, alcoholism and a lack of running water at home, so nurturing is emphasized. Principal Etta Shirley's day starts at 6 a.m., when on her way to work, she picks up kids off the bus routes. Because there's no teacher housing, a caravan of teachers commutes together about 90 minutes each morning on barely passable dirt roads. President Barack Obama visited Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota in June, where he announced the school improvement plan. The plan also calls for more board-certified teachers, better Internet access and less red tape, making it easier to buy books and hire teachers. The school is now primarily a day school, but about 30 kids stay in dorms there, in part because they live too far to catch buses that begin running at 5:30 a.m.

 

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