By Nora Mabie/montana Free Press A group of Montana students, families and tribes has reached a settlement with the state Office of Public Instruction that’s set to bring closure to a yearslong legal dispute about how the state implements its constitutional requirement to provide Indigenous education. The settlement, if approved, would resolve a class action lawsuit filed in 2021 in which plaintiffs alleged the state has failed to implement and enforce a constitutional mandate requiring K-12 public education to recognize the “distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians.” In 1999, the state Legislature enacted the Indian Education for All (IEFA) Act to implement that constitutional mandate and require public schools to teach Native American history and culture. Since 2007, the Legislature has appropriated about $3.5 million annually to school…
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