Michigan withholds tribal boarding school report after $1.1M study

Michigan spent three years and $1.1 million studying the state’s Native American boarding schools but has declined to release the completed report to the public, according to Bridge Michigan. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights, which oversaw the study, said the report produced by a Washington-based Native American firm, Kauffman and Associates, was too flawed to release, while the consulting firm accused the state of editing the report in ways that minimized findings.

The report was completed in October, but department officials declined to share it with Bridge Michigan or members of the Civil Rights Commission. Commission member Regina Gasco said survivors testified with the expectation the findings would be made public. The study was requested by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022 and funded by the Legislature in 2023, according to Bridge Michigan. State officials said the report lacked substance, while Kauffman and Associates said it was asked to significantly cut content and remove references to local government involvement.