AZ schools super gets earful on interstate attendance
WINDOW ROCK
The issue of students attending schools outside their district, even outside their county or state, is a common concern among Arizona public schools in the Navajo Nation, according to public school officials.
Last Thursday during an Arizona Department of Education “We Are Listening Tour,” officials from the Red Mesa Unified School District told Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas of the plight of rural, reservation schools.
Douglas was in Window Rock June 18 for the “We Are Listening Tour,” one of 14 stops she is making around the state by the end of June. The tour is an effort to hear from school districts and community members on education issues facing Arizona’s K-12 students.
“We will find better ways to serve the citizens of Arizona,” Douglas said in the opening minutes of the tour, held in the confines of the Navajo Nation Council Chamber.
Red Mesa Superintendent Tommie C. Yazzie told Douglas the migration of people to larger communities is a hurdle small schools face.
Yazzie said that the Arizona Public Education Department is not doing enough to accommodate the needs of children. For instance, he cited how nearby school districts in New Mexico, specifically Central Consolidated School District, are welcoming students from Arizona to attend their schools. Whereas in Arizona, he said, the APED has a policy that prevents students from New Mexico from attending the district’s schools even though these students live close by. He added that the wellbeing of any student – no matter where they live – is priority.
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