OCR Text |
Show COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 7 on. while this is a time when economy in every line is necessary it should he remembered that to allow children to grow up in igno-rance and untrained, and therefore to continue .to be unproductive, is false economy. Every child of every .nationality in this country is entitled to an opportunity to get an education. Of all nationah-ties, certainly the Indians, the native Americans, are entitled to educational opportunities equal to those of all other nationalities. While there are many Indian children out of school because of lack of school facilities, especially in the Southwest, fortunately in other sections of the country conditions are changing rapidly and public schools are now avai\able for a very large percentage ,of the Indian children in those sections. The placing of all Indian children in the public schools is the ultimate aim. In a majority of the States we meet with the heartiest cooperation in providing for Indians in public schools. In order to assist State school authorities in enrolling and in maintaining regu-lar attendance of Indians in public schools, the following regula-tions have been formulated in accordance with an act of Congress as quoted therein: R E ~ ~ T I OWNNCSER NING ENROLLWENT AND ATTENDANCE OF INDIAN CHILDREN IN SOHOOL, PURSUANT TO THE ACT OF FBBFCUA1R4, Y19 20.- The following amendment to regulations ap roved February 28, 1921, is hereby issued pursuant to the act of $ehruary 14, 1920 (41 Stat. L., 408,410), which reads in part: Hereafter the' Secretary of the Interior is authorized to make and enforce such rules aaa regulations as may be necessary to secure the enrollment and regular attendance of eligible Indian children who are wards of the Govern-ment in schools maintained for their benefit by the United States or in tne public schools. ARTICLE I. Superintendents of reservations or schools within the various States shall; in every way possible, assist State, county, or local district officers in compiling school censuses for their respective districts with a view to placing 811 Indian children in school and enforcing their regular attendance in accord-ance with the existing compulsory-education laws and regulations of the diffekent States. ABT. 11. The compulsory-education laws a m regulations of the different States in which Indians reside are hereby adopted as an amendment to regula-tions concerning enrollment and attendance of Indian children in school, author-, ized by the abovequoted act of February 14, 19U). Where State, county, or district officials care to do so, they may enforce such State laws and re&-. latious as embodied herein with respect to Indian childres, and snperln-tendents and other Indian Service officials are hereby directed to cooperate with said ollidals to the fullest extent possible in the enforcement of said laws and regulations. If an Indian, on the ground of wardship, raises the question of jurisdiction of State or county officials and his contention is well founded, then the superintendent o r other proper officials to whom the Indian appeals shall enforce the above law and regulations referred to and authorized by the.act quoted above, using Federal agencies and officials who perform duties slmllar to those named in the laws and regulations embodied herein. ART. 111. Where Indian children, regardless of civil status, live beyond the limit of distance and thereby are exempt from attending public schools, or where any other conditions prevent State, county, or district officials from enforcing State laws and regulations, as provided in Article I1 hereof, and their parents refuse or fai1,of their own free will to place them in a suitable school, they shall attend .a boarding school or schools (as far as eapacity of such schools is. available) designated by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. ART. IV. When parents fail or refuse. to comply with Article I11 ,of these regulations, the same punishment and fines shall be imposed on them as though their residence was within the distance for compulsory attendance at a public sehool. - - |