Shady Grove School District participates in the United States Department of Education's Impact Aid Program. The following Indian Policies and Procedures are used communicating with the tribe(s) and parents of our Indian children.
(June 16, 2022 - Review Document)
Indian Policies and Procedures
Shady Grove School District
2022-2023 School Year
It is the intent of the Shady Grove School District that all Indian children of school age have equal access to all programs, services and activities offered within the school district. To this end, the Shady Grove School District will consult with local tribes and parents of Indian children in the planning and development of Indian Policies and Procedures (IPPs), general education programs, and activities. These policies and procedures will be reviewed annually, and revisions will be made within 90 days of the determination that requirements are not being adequately met.
ATTESTATIONS
The Shady Grove School District attests that it has established Indian Policies and Procedures (IPPs) as required in section 7004 of the Impact Aid law for any children claimed who reside on eligible Indian lands. The IPPs have been adequately disseminated to the tribes and parents of children residing on eligible Indian lands. A copy of the current policies and procedures was attached to the FY 2023 Impact Aid application.
The Shady Grove School District attests that it has provided a copy of written responses to comments, concerns and recommendations received from tribal leaders and parents of Indian children through the Indian policies and procedures consultation process and disseminated these responses to tribal leaders and parents of Indian children prior to the submission of their FY 2023 Impact Aid application.
Indian Policies and Procedures
The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is consulted on programs, projects, and school policies affecting our Indian children and families. The Cherokee Nation Education Department will be notified by email, as the tribe’s preferred mode of notification about our programs, projects, school policies, and applications.
The following Indian policies and procedures become effective upon school board approval.
Policy 1: The LEA will disseminate relevant applications, evaluations, program plans and information related to the LEA's education program and activities with sufficient advance notice to allow tribes and parents of Indian children the opportunity to review and make recommendations. [34CFR222.94(a)(1)]
Procedure 1:
1.1 The LEA will disseminate, as soon as reasonably possible after such information becomes available, but not later than two (2) weeks in advance of any meeting, by having copies of relevant documents available, at any time of the year, during regular business
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hours, in the administrative offices for parents, community members, and tribal officials to review. Copies of the listed documents will be emailed to parents, upon request, and tribal officials will receive emailed documents throughout the year, as changes or reports are updated. The district will post all related documents of the Impact Aid program to the school’s website and provide that website address (https://sites.google.com/shadygrove.k12.ok.us/shadygrove/home) for Indian parents and Tribes to review a copy of the following documents:
Impact Aid FY 2023 application;
Assessment/Evaluation of Equal Participation in all Educational Programs;
Indian Policies Procedures (IPPs);
Any Plans for District education programs;
Other relevant documents to provide supporting information
1.2 Parents of Indian children, tribes and the public will be given notice of any and all meetings at least two weeks in advance related to the above documents (Including IPPs) by including the tentative meeting/public hearings dates to be included in the “Student Handbook” given to every student during the first week of every school year. Additionally, parents will receive notice of meetings/public hearings with the weekly newsletter, for two consecutive weeks before the meeting week. The tentative meeting/public hearing dates will be submitted by email to tribal officials each August and will be invited, by email and postal letter, at least two weeks in advance of any meeting or public hearing concerning the Impact Aid program or other programs involved in the education of Native American students. This will allow parents of Indian children and tribes the time to review and provide comments on all documents and information received.
POLICY (2): The Shady Grove School District will provide an opportunity for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma or other local federally recognized Indian Tribe and parents of Indian children to provide their views on the District's educational program and activities, including recommendations on the needs of their children and how the District may help those children realize the benefits of the educational programs and activities. [34CFR222 .94(a)(2)] As a part of this requirement, the LEA will-
(i) Notify tribes and the parents of Indian children of the opportunity to submit comments and recommendations, considering the tribe's preference for method of communication, and
(ii) Modify the method of and time for soliciting Indian views, if necessary, to ensure the maximum participation of tribes and parents of Indian children.
Procedure 2:
2.1 Shady Grove School will make the following opportunities available for parents of Indian Children and tribes to provide input on the educational program and activities:
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Notify tribal officials and parents of Native American students of the opportunity to submit comments, recommendations, and other input concerning the educational programs including but not limited to core academics, electives, and extra-curricular activities including, but not limited to sports, music, field trips, and clubs, by mail, email, by attending any monthly, quarterly, or annual meeting, by contacting a tribal representative, or appearing in person at the school office, and at scheduled meetings/public hearings held in the morning, afternoon, or evening to allow broad participation for all stakeholders.
Parents are welcome to submit comments, recommendations, and other input concerning the educational programs and extra-curricular activities of the school district to the school administration at any school function, regular or specially called meeting, or through email or letter to the administration
The district hosts a number of activities throughout the school year, including an Ice Cream Social before the school year, Parent/Teacher Conferences, Veterans Assembly, Fall Festival, Holiday Program, Spring Concert, Graduation, that provide opportunities for parents to comment on programs, activities, and the education of their students.
The district will hold meetings/public hearings to allow for public comment on the programs, policies, procedures, applications, evaluations and other aspects of the total school program by tribal officials and parents of Indian students. Meetings will scheduled and held at the school’s library, cafeteria, and/or conference room at times convenient for parents and tribal officials to attend.
2.2 Indian parents and Tribes will be given notice of any and all meetings through approved methods of communication which includes letters sent home with students, email, posting on school information boards, and the school’s webpage. Notification of meetings will be included in the student handbook, given to every student during the first week of each school year. Additionally, the weekly newsletter will include notifications for two weeks prior to the week of the scheduled meeting.
2.3 The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma has requested communication with the tribe for consultation purposes to be disseminated via email. All documents will be included as attachments to emails sent to the Director of Education, and his/her assistant.
Once the preferred method of communication has been decided, the tribe and parents of Indian children communication method will be used throughout the consultation process. Any changes to the method will happen through additional consultation with tribes and parents. The LEA will, to the greatest extent possible, take the tribe’s preferred method of communication into consideration for all correspondence with the tribe and the parents of Indian children.
2.4 If the consultation participation by parents of Indian children and tribes is low, the Shady Grove School District will re-evaluate its consultation process. Specifically, the Shady Grove School District will take the following measures to improve or enhance participation:
Consult with parents of Indian children and tribes
Change communication method
Change time of meeting
Other possible strategies to engage tribes and parents of Indian children
POLICY (3): The Shady Grove School District will, at least annually, assess the extent to which Indian children participate on an equal basis with non-Indian children in the District's education program and activities. [34CFR222.94(a)(3)] As part of this requirement, the LEA will:
(i) Share relevant information related to Indian children's participation in the LEA's education program and activities with tribes and parents of Indian children; and
(ii) Allow tribes and parents of Indian children the opportunity and time to review and comment on whether Indian children participate on an equal basis with non-Indian children.
Procedure 3: The Shady Grove School District will encourage Native American students to participate in all curricular subjects including, but not limited to core academics, electives, and extra-curricular activities including but not limited to sports, music, field trips, academic teams, and clubs and will assess the extent to which Native American students participate on an equitable basis with non-Native students in the district’s education programs and activities.
3.1 The Superintendent/Principal will review school participation data after each school year grading period and after the end of each extra-curricular season, to assess the extent to which equal participation of Native American students is occurring in each program.
3.2 All educational programs including, but not limited to core academics, electives, and all extra-curricular programs including but not limited to sports, music, field trips, academic teams, and clubs will be assessed to ensure Native American students participate on an equitable basis with non-Native students.
3.3 Participation levels will be reported to the board of education and at public forums and at the public meetings specifically scheduled for the review and accepting comments from the parents of Native American students and tribal official. The district will share assessment finding with parents of Native American students and tribal officials through approved methods of communication, including letters sent home with students, email, posting on school information boards, and when available the school’s website.
3.4 Comments and recommendations from Tribal officials, parents of Native American students, and the Indian community, and staff regarding assessment and extent of Indian students’ participation and progress in the educational programs and services of the District will be received by the administration for review by the board of education for consideration and possible adoption. Comments can be made by mail, email, fax, or in-person at the school site and with the site administrator at any time during regular business hours or at school sponsored events. The Shady Grove School District welcomes recommendations throughout the year and will consider changes to policies, procedures, and programs at regular or special meetings of the board of education.
3.5 The Shady Grove School District will take the following measures to annually assess the extent to which Indian children participate on an equal basis with non-Indian children in the District's education program and activities.
A. The Shady Grove School District shall annually calculate from its records the ratio of Indian children compared to non-Indian children participating in all academic and co-curricular programs.
B. The Shady Grove School District will disseminate its assessment of Indian children participation compared to non-Indian children and any other related data with the parents of Indian children and tribes by email, letters home with students, posting on the school website and a letter included within the student handbook given to each student during the first week of school, annually. This information will be shared at least three weeks in advance of any meeting to discuss the extent to which Indian children participate with non-Indian children.
C. Parents of Indian children, tribes and other interested parties may express their views on participation through the following ways:
D. If it is determined that there are gaps in Indian participation in the educational program or activities, the Shady Grove School Board in consultation with the Indian Education Committee, tribes, and the parents of Indian children, will modify its education program in such a way as to improve Indian participation.
POLICY (4): The Shady Grove School District will modify the IPPs if necessary, based upon the results of any assessment or input described in this document. [34CRF222.94(a)(4)]
Procedure 4:
4.1 The Shady Grove School Board will schedule a meeting in December and January to discuss the content of the IPPs, equal participation, and educational program and activities. Parents of Indian children and tribes will be notified via email, letters home with students, and posted on the school website regarding these meetings and their ability to submit comments.
4.2 The Shady Grove School Board and/or The Indian Education Committee will evaluate all recommendations for changes to these IPPs.
4.3 The Shady Grove School Board and/or The Indian Education Committee will decide on all recommended revisions to these IPPs.
4.4 Any changes approved by the Shady Grove School Board will become effective immediately upon adoption.
4.5 The Shady Grove School District will disseminate copies of the revised IPPs to the tribe and parents of Indian children by email and the school website within 30 days of adoption by the Shady Grove School Board.
POLICY (5) : The Shady Grove School District will respond at least annually in writing to comments and recommendations made by tribes or parents of Indian children, and disseminate the responses to the tribe and parents of Indian children prior to the submission of the IPPs by the LEA. [34CRF222 .94(a)(5)]
Procedure 5:
5.1 The administration will respond annually in writing to comments and recommendations made by parents of Native American students and tribal officials to the IPPs, through approved methods of communication which includes letters sent home with students, email, mail, posting on the school’s information boards, and when available on the school’s website, within thirty days of the annual public hearing.
5.2 The Shady Grove School District will annually keep track of and assemble all comments and suggestions received through the various consultation processes by maintaining a file of printed recommendations receive via email, letters, notes from personal meetings with tribal leaders and/or parents of Indian students, responses to surveys, and/or discussions/public comments at regular or special meetings of the board of education.
5.3 The Shady Grove School District will at least annually respond in writing to comments and recommendations made by tribes, or parents of Indian children, and disseminate the responses to all parties by the preferred methods of communications, email, letters sent home with students, and posting on the school website prior to the submission of the IPPs by the District
POLICY (6): The Shady Grove School District will provide a copy of the IPPs annually to the affected tribe or tribes. [34CR F222.94 (a)(6)]
Procedure 6:
6.1The Shady Grove School District will annually provide a copy of the current Indian Policies and Procedures to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, tribe (s) by their preferred method of communication, emailed to the Director of Education, prior to submitting the Impact Aid Application.
Board Approval Date _______________________________ Date (Review for adoption at next meeting)