Appeal for the Uniform Use of ED506 to Improve Native Student Identification and Recruitment

WHEREAS, steps have been taken by American Indian/Alaska Native leadership to educate federal and state agencies about the unique role of tribes and to promote Indian selfdetermination on a government-to-government basis and to be consulted on issues significant to Indian Country; and

WHEREAS, American Indian/Alaska Native populations are often identified by the various federal and state agencies as a minority and the smallest ethnic group in the United States; and

WHEREAS, misidentification and under-identification of American Indian/Alaska Native students continues to be an issue in the schools at the K-12 level; and WHEREAS, ATNI has supported improvement of American Indian/Alaska Native student identification in the K-12 and higher education institutions with a previous Resolution #16-02; and

WHEREAS, form ED506 gathers important information to establish the eligibility of American Indian/Alaska Native students for services, however this process can be difficult to access, or may require parents and guardians to seek out enrollment forms which they may not be aware of; and

WHEREAS, the need exists for all K-12 paper and online student registration packets to contain the form ED506 and to be uniformly applied in the K-12 schools; now

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that ATNI joins in and supports the appeal to the K-12 school districts within the Northwest to take the necessary steps to engage families and students in order to improve the federal identification and eligibility processes for American Indian/Alaska Native students; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that ATNI does hereby urge the K-12 schools to realize the common vision to achieve equitable and optimal educational opportunities for students and families registering students by including the form ED506 in all school registration packets, so students can receive the culture based educational services they are eligible for.