Closing the gap: How a poor, rural school uses culture to help Native American kids learn, a news article from the Argus Leader about an elementary school on the Rosebud Reservation.
The healing power of heritage, Interventions rooted in Indigenous traditions are helping to prevent suicide and addiction in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
The hidden health inequalities that American Indian and Alaskan Natives face, the IHS is the primary health care provider for most American Indians. It is responsible for providing health care under historical treaty agreements between the federal government and tribes.
It's National Child Abuse Prevention Month
During the month of April we honor the professionals dedicated to making meaningful and measureable change in the lives of children, families, and communities. Please see the below links for resource.
Get your copy of the 2018 Prevention Resource Guide.
Spread the word to partners, organizations, and communities with the ready to use outreach materials.
Train new family support workers with six Protective Factors in Practice.
Help parents, cargivers, and families tackle their everyday challenges and situations with our Tip Sheets.
Engage parents, programs, and communities with tailored activities in the Activity Calendars.
Read President Trump's 2018 National Child Abuse Prevention Month Proclamation.
ICWA News
Many of you may be aware of the lawsuit, filed by Texas challenging the constitutionality of the ICWA and the 2016 regulations in the federal district court in the Northern District of Texas. Their claims include that ICWA discriminates on race, regardless of the many earlier claims which have been found groundless. The major concern is, this is the first time a state has challenged the constitutionality of ICWA and its Regulations. The suit asserts the claims ICWA violates the Constitution’s Tenth Amendment because they exceed Congress’s Commerce authority and are an impermissible commandeering of state resources along with a variety of other arguments. Plaintiffs argue the Regulations coerce states to engage in unconstitutional conduct by threat of losing Federal child welfare grants, constituting an abuse of Congress’s Spending Clause power and unconstitutionally delegate to Tribes legislative power that is reserved to congress and the Regulations are an “unexplained and unsupported departure from the 1979 Guidelines.”
The Plaintiffs are contacting other state Attorney Generals, requesting support in this suit.
Use this link to read the 2017 ICWA Defense Project Memo.
CALL TO ACTION:
1. Contact your state Attorney General and urge them to support ICWA
2. Discuss the importance of ICWA in meetings with elected representatives and the DOI
3. Ensure your Tribal Leaders and Attorneys are aware of this threat to ICWA.
This link will take you to an example “Letter to Western Attorney Generals”, that you can review as a good template of what might be sent to the attorney general in your state.
AFGARS data collection implementation
Earlier this year, concerns were made by Kate Forte of comments being gathered on the "new AFGARS data collection implementation”. The comments that were eventually submitted were overwhelmingly concerns from states of how the additional requirements would impact the states. It is my understanding, at this time the BIA is considering amending the Data Regulation passed in 2016 related to Indian Children and Families. This data collection is vital to tracking and compliance by states of ICWA. The full implementation of the 2016 Data Regulations could effectively provide a good picture of the ICWA compliance by states. There has been no comprehensive data picture of compliance in the history of ICWA
Tribes are urged to let the BIA know of our concerns if any amendments are made to the 2016 AFCARS Data requirement.
Use this link to see the 2016 AFCARS Data Requirements.
