§ 2001. Accreditation for the basic education of Indian children in Bureau of Indian Affairs schools

§ 2001. Accreditation for the basic education of Indian children in Bureau of Indian Affairs schools

(a) Purpose; declarations of purpose

(1) Purpose The purpose of the accreditation required under this section shall be to ensure that Indian students being served by a school funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs are provided with educational opportunities that equal or exceed those for all other students in the United States.

(2) Declarations of purpose Local school boards for schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in cooperation and consultation with the appropriate tribal governing bodies and their communities, are encouraged to adopt declarations of purpose for education for their communities, taking into account the implications of such declarations on education in their communities and for their schools. In adopting such declarations of purpose, the school boards shall consider the effect the declarations may have on the motivation of students and faculties.

(b) Accreditation

(1) Deadline

(A) In general Not later than 24 months after January 8, 2002, each Bureau-funded school shall, to the extent that necessary funds are provided, be a candidate for accreditation or be accredited—

(i) by a tribal accrediting body, if the accreditation standards of the tribal accrediting body have been accepted by formal action of the tribal governing body and such accreditation is acknowledged by a generally recognized State certification or regional accrediting agency;

(ii) by a regional accreditation agency;

(iii) by State accreditation standards for the State in which the Bureau-funded school is located; or

(iv) in the case of a Bureau-funded school that is located on a reservation that is located in more than one State, in accordance with the State accreditation standards of one State as selected by the tribal government.

(B) Feasibility study Not later than 12 months after January 8, 2002, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Education shall, in consultation with Indian tribes, Indian education organizations, and accrediting agencies, develop and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the desirability and feasibility of establishing a tribal accreditation agency that would—

(i) review and acknowledge the accreditation standards for Bureau-funded schools; and

(ii) establish accreditation procedures to facilitate the application, review of the standards and review processes, and recognition of qualified and credible tribal departments of education as accrediting bodies serving tribal schools.

(2) Determination of accreditation to be applied The accreditation type applied for each school shall be determined by the tribal governing body, or the school board, if authorized by the tribal governing body.

(3) Assistance to school boards

(A) In general The Secretary, through contracts and grants, shall provide technical and financial assistance to Bureau-funded schools, to the extent that necessary amounts are made available, to enable such schools to obtain the accreditation required under this subsection, if the school boards request that such assistance, in part or in whole, be provided.

(B) Entities through which assistance may be provided The Secretary may provide such assistance directly or through the Department of Education, an institution of higher education, a private not-for-profit organization or for-profit organization, an educational service agency, or another entity with demonstrated experience in assisting schools in obtaining accreditation.

(4) Application of current standards during accreditation A Bureau-funded school that is seeking accreditation shall remain subject to the standards issued under this section 11 See References in Text note below. and in effect on the day before January 8, 2002, until such time as the school is accredited, except that if any of such standards are in conflict with the standards of the accrediting agency, the standards of such agency shall apply in such case.

(5) Annual report on unaccredited schools Not later than 90 days after the end of each school year, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Indian Affairs, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, a report concerning unaccredited Bureau-funded schools that—

(A) identifies those Bureau-funded schools that fail to be accredited or to be candidates for accreditation within the period provided for in paragraph (1);

(B) with respect to each Bureau-funded school identified under subparagraph (A), identifies the reasons that each such school is not accredited or a candidate for accreditation, as determined by the appropriate accreditation agency, and a description of any possible way in which to remedy such nonaccreditation; and

(C) with respect to each Bureau-funded school for which the reported reasons for the lack of accreditation under subparagraph (B) are a result of the school’s inadequate basic resources, contains information and funding requests for the full funding needed to provide such schools with accreditation, such funds if provided shall be applied to such unaccredited school under this paragraph.

(6) Opportunity to review and present evidence

(A) In general Prior to including a Bureau-funded school in an annual report required under paragraph (5), the Secretary shall—

(i) ensure that the school has exhausted all administrative remedies provided by the accreditation agency; and

(ii) provide the school with an opportunity to review the data on which such inclusion is based.

(B) Provision of additional information If the school board of a school that the Secretary has proposed for inclusion in an annual report under paragraph (5) believes that such inclusion is in error, the school board may provide to the Secretary such information as the board believes is in conflict with the information and conclusions of the Secretary with respect to the determination to include the school in such annual report. The Secretary shall consider such information provided by the school board before making a final determination concerning the inclusion of the school in any such report.

(C) Publication of accreditation status Not later than 30 days after making an initial determination to include a school in an annual report under paragraph (5), the Secretary shall make public the final determination on the accreditation status of the school.

(7) School plan

(A) In general Not later than 120 days after the date on which a school is included in an annual report under paragraph (5), the school shall develop a school plan, in consultation with interested parties including parents, school staff, the school board, and other outside experts (if appropriate), that shall be submitted to the Secretary for approval. The school plan shall cover a 3-year period and shall—

(i) incorporate strategies that address the specific issues that caused the school to fail to be accredited or fail to be a candidate for accreditation;

(ii) incorporate policies and practices concerning the school that have the greatest likelihood of ensuring that the school will obtain accreditation during the 3-year period beginning on the date on which the plan is implemented;

(iii) contain an assurance that the school will reserve the necessary funds, from the funds described in paragraph (3), for each fiscal year for the purpose of obtaining accreditation;

(iv) specify how the funds described in clause (iii) will be used to obtain accreditation;

(v) establish specific annual, objective goals for measuring continuous and significant progress made by the school in a manner that will ensure the accreditation of the school within the 3-year period described in clause (ii);

(vi) identify how the school will provide written notification about the lack of accreditation to the parents of each student enrolled in such school, in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand; and

(vii) specify the responsibilities of the school board and any assistance to be provided by the Secretary under paragraph (3).

(B) Implementation A school shall implement the school plan under subparagraph (A) expeditiously, but in no event later than the beginning of the school year following the school year in which the school was included in the annual report under paragraph (5) so long as the necessary resources have been provided to the school.

(C) Review of plan Not later than 45 days after receiving a school plan, the Secretary shall—

(i) establish a peer-review process to assist with the review of the plan; and

(ii) promptly review the school plan, work with the school as necessary, and approve the school plan if the plan meets the requirements of this paragraph.

(8) Corrective action

(A) Definition In this subsection, the term “corrective action” means any action that—

(i) substantially and directly responds to—

(I) the failure of a school to achieve accreditation; and

(II) any underlying staffing, curriculum, or other programmatic problem in the school that contributed to the lack of accreditation; and

(ii) is designed to increase substantially the likelihood that the school will be accredited.

(B) Waiver The Secretary shall grant a waiver which shall exempt a school from any or all of the requirements of this paragraph and paragraph (7) (though such school shall be required to comply with the standards contained in part 36 of title 25, Code of Federal Register,22 So in original. Probably should be “Regulations,”. as in effect on January 8, 2002) if the school—

(i) is identified in the report described in paragraph (5)(C); and

(ii) fails to be accredited for reasons that are beyond the control of the school board, as determined by the Secretary, including, but not limited to—

(I) a significant decline in financial resources;

(II) the poor condition of facilities, vehicles, or other property; and

(III) a natural disaster.

(C) Duties of Secretary After providing assistance to a school under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall—

(i) annually review the progress of the school under the applicable school plan to determine whether the school is meeting, or making adequate progress toward achieving the goals described in paragraph (7)(A)(v) with respect to reaccreditation or becoming a candidate for accreditation;

(ii) except as provided in subparagraph (B), continue to provide assistance while implementing the school’s plan, and, if determined appropriate by the Secretary, take corrective action with respect to the school if it fails to be accredited at the end of the third full year immediately following the date that the school’s plan was first in effect under paragraph (7);

(iii) provide all students enrolled in a school that is eligible for a corrective action determination by the Secretary under clause (ii) with the option to transfer to another public or Bureau-funded school, including a public charter school, that is accredited;

(iv) promptly notify the parents of children enrolled in a school that is eligible for a corrective action determination by the Secretary under clause (ii) of the option to transfer their child to another public or Bureau-funded school; and

(v) provide, or pay for the provision of, transportation for each student described in clause (iii) to the school described in clause (iii) to which the student elects to be transferred to the extent funds are available, as determined by the tribal governing body.

(D) Failure of school plan of Bureau-operated school With respect to a Bureau-operated school that fails to be accredited at the end of the third full year immediately following the date that the school’s plan was first in effect under paragraph (7), the Secretary may take one or more of the following corrective actions:

(i) Institute and fully implement actions suggested by the accrediting agency.

(ii) Consult with the tribe involved to determine the causes for the lack of accreditation including potential staffing and administrative changes that are or may be necessary.

(iii) Set aside a certain amount of funds that may only be used by the school to obtain accreditation.

(iv)

(I) Provide the tribe with a 60-day period during which to determine whether the tribe desires to operate the school as a contract or grant school before meeting the accreditation requirements in section 5207(c) of the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 ^1 at the beginning of the next school year following the determination to take corrective action. If the tribe agrees to operate the school as a contract or grant school, the tribe shall prepare a plan, pursuant to paragraph (7), for approval by the Secretary in accordance with paragraph (7), to achieve accreditation.

(II) If the tribe declines to assume control of the school, the Secretary, in consultation with the tribe, may contract with an outside entity, consistent with applicable law, or appoint a receiver or trustee to operate and administer the affairs of the school until the school is accredited. The outside entity, receiver, or trustee shall prepare a plan, pursuant to paragraph (7), for approval by the Secretary in accordance with paragraph (7).

(III) Upon accreditation of the school, the Secretary shall allow the tribe to continue to operate the school as a grant or contract school, or if the school is being controlled by an outside entity, provide the tribe with the option to assume operation of the school as a contract school, in accordance with the Indian Self-Determination Act [25 U.S.C. 5321 et seq.], or as a grant school in accordance with the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 [25 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.], at the beginning of the school year following the school year in which the school obtains accreditation. If the tribe declines, the Secretary may allow the outside entity, receiver, or trustee to continue the operation of the school or reassume control of the school.

(E) Failure of school plan of contract or grant school

(i) Corrective action With respect to a contract or grant school that fails to be accredited at the end of the third full year immediately following the date that the school’s plan was first in effect under paragraph (7), the Secretary may take one or more of the corrective actions described in subparagraph (D)(i) and (D)(ii). The Secretary shall implement such corrective action for at least 1 year prior to taking any action described under clause (ii).

(ii) Outside entity If the corrective action described in clause (i) does not result in accreditation of the school, the Secretary, in conjunction with the tribal governing body, may contract with an outside entity to operate the school in order to achieve accreditation of the school within 2 school years. Prior to entering into such a contract, the Secretary shall develop a proposal for such operation which shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:

(I) The identification of one or more outside entities each of which has demonstrated to the Secretary its ability to develop a satisfactory plan for achieving accreditation and its willingness and availability to undertake such a plan.

(II) A plan for implementing operation of the school by such an outside entity, including the methodology for oversight and evaluation of the performance of the outside entity by the Secretary and the tribe.

(iii) Proposal amendments The tribal governing body shall have 60 days to amend the plan developed pursuant to clause (ii), including identifying another outside entity to operate the school. The Secretary shall reach agreement with the tribal governing body on the proposal and any such amendments to the plan not later than 30 days after the expiration of the 60-day period described in the preceding sentence. After the approval of the proposal and any amendments, the Secretary, with continuing consultation with such tribal governing body, shall implement the proposal.

(iv) Accreditation Upon accreditation of the school, the tribe shall have the option to assume the operation and administration of the school as a contract school after complying with the Indian Self-Determination Act [25 U.S.C. 5321 et seq.], or as a grant school, after complying with the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 [25 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.], at the beginning of the school year following the year in which the school obtains accreditation.

(v) Retrocede Nothing in this subparagraph shall limit a tribe’s right to retrocede operation of a school to the Secretary pursuant to section 105(e) of the Indian Self-Determination Act [25 U.S.C. 5324(e)] (with respect to a contract school) or section 5204(f) of the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 ^1 (with respect to a grant school).

(vi) Consistent The provisions of this subparagraph shall be construed to be consistent with the provisions of the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 [25 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.] and the Indian Self-Determination Act [25 U.S.C. 5321 et seq.] as in effect on the day before January 8, 2002, and shall not be construed as expanding the authority of the Secretary under any other law.

(F) Hearing With respect to a school that is operated pursuant to a grant, or a school that is operated under a contract under the Indian Self-Determination Act [25 U.S.C. 5321 et seq.], prior to implementing any corrective action under this paragraph, the Secretary shall provide notice and an opportunity for a hearing to the affected school pursuant to section 5207 of the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988.^1

(9) Statutory construction Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies, and procedures afforded to school employees under applicable law (including applicable regulations or court orders) or under the terms of any collective bargaining agreement, memorandum of understanding, or other agreement between such employees and their employers.

(10) Fiscal control and fund accounting standards The Bureau shall, either directly or through contract with an Indian organization, establish a consistent system of reporting standards for fiscal control and fund accounting for all contract and grant schools. Such standards shall provide data comparable to those used by Bureau-operated schools.

(c) Annual plan

(1) In general Except as provided in subsection (b), the Secretary shall implement the standards in effect under this section ^1 on the day before January 8, 2002.