September 30, 2024 – Parents of youth attending Tuba City Boarding School organized a community gathering and rally outside the Navajo Police Department to demand justice and answers. On September 24, a sixth-grade male teacher was arrested at the school for public sexual indecency after evidence of him masturbating in a classroom was collected by students. An act that had been happening for years. The perpetrator was released approximately 18 hours later, and the students’ families have not been able to receive further details of the investigation.
The timing of the incident and rally happened to line up with National Day for Truth and Reconciliation- a national holiday in Canada honoring Indigenous students who never returned home from boarding school and survivors of residential schools. The incident happened at a Bureau of Indian Education boarding school, establishing that these incidents are ongoing and not of the past.
These are their demands:
- Support from the 25th Navajo Nation Council to support a request from families to the
BIE demanding a full-scale investigation into the Tuba City Boarding School system to address the misconduct and failures in the school system and provide answers and justice for our children. - Accountability from all identified faculty and administration personnel that knew about the abuse, failed to report it or investigate it, and allowed it to continue.
- Federal charges for the perpetrator to ensure the teacher is held responsible for the harm caused to the students, families, and greater community.
- Comprehensive solutions to protect every child to ensure their safety.
- Mental health support for all students and parents affected by this traumatic event.
- Request a joint session between the HEHSC and Law and Order committees of the Navajo Nation council to hear from the families directly, and work alongside respective Navajo Nation departments for justice.
The Red Nation was on the ground live steaming the rally, it is available on our Youtube channel. Interviews will also be posted.
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