Congressmen get a firsthand look at Indian school crisis

Staff and teachers grimly detailed the aging Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig High School building’s structural failings for three visiting U.S. congressmen Wednesday. But it was a comment from a student that drove home the dire need to replace the pole barn where classes are held.

As students in grades 9–12 gathered to relay their concerns, Minnesota Republican Rep. John Kline asked them where they stash their coats for handy access for their frequent trips outside between the high school — which lacks a cafeteria, gym and well-stocked library — and the elementary/middle-school building, which has all three. The sobering reply: Their coats are always within reach. It’s so cold in the broken-down building that kids usually have them on all day long.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/299264091.html