Indigenous Students Underrepresented at GCCS
Despite Native American students making up 47 percent of students at Grants Cibola County Schools, these students are seriously underrepresented when compared to their non-native peers. A 68page report from the Legislative Education Committee highlights issues at GCCS and calls on the school district to transform its operations to better represent and protect students in the district.
In 2019 GCCS was investigated by the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to determine why Native American students are left out of more-advanced classes. The report found that Native American students are not only left out of advanced placement courses at higher levels compared to their peers, but that the opportunities for Native American students to take these courses are seriously limited.
According to the report, in School Year 2023 – the current school year – Grants High School offers seven advanced placement courses, the school is 45 percent Native American. In comparison, Laguna Acoma High School only offers one advanced placement course, the school is 94 percent Native American.
The report states, “This information indicates a need to better target and prioritize resources for Native American students in Grants. Based on district gifted enrollment data, the percent of gifted students identified as Native Americans declined in [GCCS] from 2019 to 2022. [GCCS] should improve how it identifies and engages with Native American students through gifted programs and AP classes.”
GCCS came to an agreement with the OCR in 2019, where the district agreed to “revamp” their handbook and policies that deal with Native American students participating in gifted and advanced placement classes. The OCR mandated that GCCS find ways to increase Native American participation in these classes. When asked by the LEC if GCCS had fulfilled these requirements, GCCS said yes, but was unable to provide examples of them completing these requirements. The report states, “The resolution agreement required a self-assessment of racial equity in gifted, honors and AP courses which the district stated they have completed but was unable to provide to the [Legislative Finance Committee] at the time of publication. [GCCS] did provide LFC staff with information regarding multiple meetings with stakeholders including the Pueblo of Acoma, Pueblo of Laguna, Navajo Nation Department of Education, and Baca Chapter which could help inform this process.”
In School Year 2019, roughly 22 percent of Native American students in GCCS were in gifted or advanced placement courses. In School Year 2022, Roughly 18 percent of Native American students in GCCS were in gifted or advanced placement courses.
The 68-Page report calls on GCCS to fully comply with their agreement to the OCR and expand opportunities for Native American students, who make up the majority of the district’s student population but have less opportunities than their non-Native peers.