The Montana Eighth Judicial District Court issued a ruling in Yellow Kidney, et al. v. Montana Office of Public Instruction, et al denying the state’s motion to dismiss the case. The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Montana, and the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), presented oral arguments to the court in a proposed class action lawsuit on behalf of six Indian tribes and 18 individual plaintiffs challenging Montana’s failure to fulfill its constitutional and statutory mandate to teach public school students the history and culture of the first peoples of Montana in consultation with local tribes. “In a rare turn of events, the court ruled from the bench, denying the state’s request to throw out our case,” said ACLU Montana Legal Director Alex Rate. “This ruling demonstrates that this case has merit, and that Montana’s state educational agencies have a mandatory obligation to include Indian Education in public school curriculum.”
The U.S. Department of Energy hopes to use nearly $15 million in federal grants to boost clean energy development at tribal colleges and universities around the country. The funding creates more sustainable and reliable electricity generation for Native American communities. The Blackfeet Community College in Montana has found success with construction of a smart building and the installation of solar panels on campus buildings. Tribal colleges and universities around the U.S. will be able to tap nearly $15 million in grant funding to boost clean energy development as part of the federal government’s latest investment in creating more reliable and sustainable electricity generation for Native American communities.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
