Legislation Introduced to Teach Indian Boarding Schools History in Secondary Schools in Michigan

A bill introduced in the Michigan Legislature last month aims to encourage the State Board of Education to ensure that accurate history about Indian boarding schools is taught to grades 8th through 12th. Currently, some secondary schools already teach include Indian boarding schools history in their curriculum, but many people believe that there are not enough school districts that do.

The bill, SB876, was introduced by Republican Michigan state Sen. Wayne Schmidt in the Michigan State Senate on Feb. 16, 2022. A co-sponsor of the legislation was Michigan state Sen. Irwin, a Democrat, who is a tribal citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa.

"I think it's important that kids learn about history and civics, but it's especially important that they learn about our history here in Michigan. And that necessarily includes the history of the Tribes and the people who lived here long before European settlers got here. And it absolutely must include the history of these Indian boarding schools, which was an incredibly terrible and racist effort that our very government engaged in to try to erase these cultures, or race these languages and eradicate these people," Irwin said to Native News Online.

https://nativenewsonline.net/education/legislature-introduced-to-teach-indian-boarding-schools-in-secondary-schools-in-michigan