RAPID CITY, S.D. – The superintendent of the Rapid City Area School system came under scrutiny this week for reported comments made to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.
A letter reportedly sent to the Rapid City School District by the Department indicates Superintendent Nicole Swigert ascertained that certain Native American tribes do not commonly value education and inform their students that they don’t need to graduate.
During this week’s RCAS Board of Education meeting members of the community expressed their frustration and disappointment with those comments, calling for action to be taken by the board.
The RCAS superintendent apologized during the meeting for what was reported in the OCR letter.
The letter’s purpose is to summarize the findings of their investigation concerning Native American and white students and whether they are treated differently when it comes to education and disciplinary measures.
