LAGUNA, NM On Wednesday, December 11, as part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to strengthen education for Native youth, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn will visit New Mexico to tour a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) tribally controlled grant school located on the Pueblo of Laguna reservation.
The visit to the Laguna Elementary School and a subsequent roundtable with principals from other local tribally controlled grant schools and BIE-operated schools will help inform the work of Interior’s American Indian Education Study Group. In partnership with the Department of Education, the Group is assessing the scope of challenges in American Indian education and will be submitting recommendations for improving educational outcomes for American Indian students attending BIE-funded schools.
| WHO: | Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Kevin Washburn, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Monty Roessel, Acting Director, Bureau of Indian Education Richard Luarkie, Governor, Laguna Pueblo Kay Morris, Laguna Elementary School Natalie Martinez, Laguna Middle School Local BIE principals |
| WHAT: | Visit to Laguna Elementary School |
| WHEN: | Wednesday, December 11, 2013 9:45 a.m. MST – Media check-in 10:00 a.m. MST – Tour begins NOTE: Brief media availability immediately following the tour. The roundtable discussion with principals is CLOSED press. |
| WHERE: | Laguna Elementary School 19 Schoolhouse Road, Building 1130 Laguna, NM 87026 |
| RSVP: | Media interested in attending are required to obtain an Access Permit from the Pueblo prior to the event by contacting Natalie Pino at 505-552-6654 or npino@lagunapueblo-nsn.gov no later than 4:00 p.m. MST on Tuesday, December 10, 2013. |