RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs is having an impact in South Dakota’s second largest school district.
The Department of Education has terminated a plan to make sure Native American students are given the same opportunities as white students.
The move comes less than a year after Rapid City’s Superintendent was suspended and then let go for making “discriminatory statements.”
Last May, the US Department of Education sent a letter to the Rapid City Area School District questioning why Native American students were being treated differently than white students.
According to statistics, they weren’t getting the same opportunities in the classroom.
And, when it came to discipline, Native American students were more than twice as likely to receive discipline referrals, nearly five times as likely to receive out of school suspensions and nearly six times as likely to be arrested.
“We felt it was essential to share this information with stakeholders as part of our commitment to open and transparent communication,” Acting RCAS Superintendent Dr. Cory Strasser said. “The district has completed a significant portion of the work outlined in the agreement. And these efforts have positively impacted all students.”
RCAS has spent the past year working to improve some of the issues laid out by the OCR last year. This includes additional district wide training, added requirements to compile truancy data, and sending new reports during the school year. All in an effort to better serve students who have felt discrimination.
But now the US Department of Education is terminating that plan because diversity, equity and inclusion requirements form the foundation of the resolution agreement. However, the district says efforts to ensure student equality will continue.
“Any opportunity the district has to improve outcomes for students is work worth doing and will not be set aside,” Strasser said. “The district’s steadfast commitment to providing a safe, positive and a high quality educational experience for all students, remains unchanged.”
RCAS sent out district-wide emails, letting parents know that the district’s mission is to provide a safe, positive and nondiscriminatory learning environment where all students can achieve their full potential.
