Letter to the Editor of the Glacier Reporter sent 1-21-15

To the Editor:  
I saw a report by a State of Montana consultant who called the status of early childhood education of Indian children in Montana Public Schools from kindergarten to the fourth grade "education genocide." He explained that Indian children outperform white children until the fourth grade, and then they just shut down and begin to fall behind the norm. He was quite emotional as he described the situation as a tragedy and a form of "education genocide" for Indian children statewide. It was on state t.v. and a whole bunch of educators were in the audience who showed little reaction, and why should they, being "white" and immune from such ill treatment. In Browning Public Schools the drop-out rate is 50% and that is a tragedy for our children and the parents who will have to look for help for their psychologically damaged children caused by their experiences in Browning Public Schools. Browning schools pump up the graduation rate with remedial last minute classes to raise this failing grade in the eyes of the public, but it is yet another indicator of institutional failure and cover-up. This is institutional racism much like the voting rights issues or police brutality against the African-American citizens in the cities that has gone on for generations and are still unresolved today. Psychologists who certified former Browning Public School students [adults] for Social Security Disability claims traced their psychological problems with anxiety, depression, and other self-destructive behaviors directly to their experiences from white racist teachers, alcoholic teachers, disciplinary policy that resemble prison, isolation from their parents and community, racist curriculum that teaches the "savage" Indian history.  Over a century ago a noted anthropologist said, Education is not deculturation-education should be constructive, using as a basis the spirit of tribal life, which every race should possess for its own strengthening." Another educator said in 1905, "I like the child for what is Indian in him." All of these problems were incurred at the public school and are the root cause of premature deaths and lives of substance abuse. These injuries are real and cause real lifetime problems for the abused and damaged children of Browning Schools. The Federal Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Education will investigate our longstanding problems ignored by the state of Montana and School District No. Nine for decades; it will never change from within as the "institution" always protects itself instead of resolving the problem. The damaged children will never be able to function as competent adults due to the damages like anxiety which make them fearful and unable to work at a job or even train for a career because they hate school after their traumas. The fearful factor is that it is Blackfeet/Cree/White superintendents and school boards that have caused the massive psychological problems in our children and they are directly responsible. I am the parent of a damaged former student of Browning Public Schools.  Please get your child certified and get help for them before they commit suicide or car wrecks or alcohol and drug abuse or hate school or exhibit other self-destructive behaviors that lead to premature deaths and a life of poverty and hopelessness not their fault. Let us eliminate the education genocide in Browning Public Schools that has put our children at risk for adult psychological damages.