Phoenix Elementary School District, honoring strengthening their schools and neighborhoods together, discussed the future of their Indian Education program Tuesday in the midst of November’s National Native American Heritage Month.
Within the district is the Indian Education program, which embodies the importance of embracing Native American students by offering not only educational but cultural, tribal heritage needs. Members of the program feel strongly towards providing emotional support to students to successfully grow as individuals.
On Wednesday, the district held its monthly virtual parent meeting. This was a space for teachers, social workers, and parents to express their thoughts on the future of their program.
Despite the wonderful ideas the program is built upon, they have unfortunately seen a decrease in enrollment, raising some concerns. Members of the group expressed the significance of letting their friends, family, and even neighbors know about the program because more exposure could lead to more students.
Sarah Sims, director of the program, led the meeting by tackling and immersing into the question of, “what do children need in school and what can the school do to ensure to have those needs met?”
The Indian Education program involves both parents and students alike and is funded by Title VI and the Johnson-O’Malley grant funds, which are then agreed and distributed upon purchasing multicultural materials such as arts and crafts, events, festivals, and more.
Sims pointed out the importance of highlighting cultural competency, ways to bring culture into the classroom and specifically focuses on parent inputs in all the discussions and meetings held.
During the meeting, Sims brought up the possibility of changing their program name from “Indian” to Native American.
“I’m not a Native or an Indigenous person, so I’m unsure as to whether we should consider changing the name.” Since this could have been a sensitive topic for some, she said it could serve as “planting a seed” for the members to think about the terminology that is being used.
To guarantee a successful team of dedicated members, Sims brought up three different positions available to fill such as a chairperson, vice-chair, and also a secretary that will all work together to find qualifications for funds.
This meeting in particular was memorable for the program as hard-working social worker Julie Morris was leaving the group. The group noted that Morris worked hard each and every day to make sure students were cared for; she helped students get essentials such as hygienic products, clothes, and books, and built strong relationships with parents, students, and staff.
Sims described Morris’ leaving as “big shoes to fill” for the next person walking in to fill that position, as well as calling Morris “one-of-a-kind.”
During this pandemic, Native Americans have been hit immensely with COVID-19, and Morris was there to assist the transition to online classes. However, Morris is leaving hopeful and confident in the team and has found another place to grow happily.
The next meeting for the Indian Education program will be held on Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. They plan to discuss what is entailed in the social work area, and ideas and thoughts on opening back up for in-person classes mid-January.
Contact the reporter at yhan99@asu.edu.
Yoori Han was the politics editor at Downtown Devil during fall 2021 and part of spring 2022.
