Michigan tribal boarding school report withheld after completion
A $1.1 million state-funded report on Michigan’s tribal boarding schools was completed in September but not released to the public or the Legislature, according to reporting by Bridge Michigan. The 300-page report, prepared by Kauffman and Associates for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, included recommendations such as a gubernatorial apology for the state’s role in Native American boarding schools and eliminating the statute of limitations for physical and sexual assault on minors. A 16-page summary presented to lawmakers omitted those recommendations.
A House appropriations subcommittee has scheduled a Feb. 27 hearing on why the report was shelved, Bridge Michigan reported. State Rep. Tom Kuhn, R-Troy, said the department declined to testify, citing potential litigation with Kauffman. The report documents abuse at boarding schools, including the Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School, where the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan documented 229 student deaths between 1893 and 1934.
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