According to The New York Times, Native American tribes and students are suing the Trump administration over layoffs at federally run Native schools, claiming the cuts have severely harmed education quality.
The layoffs, part of broader federal job reductions, affected nearly a quarter of staff at Indian Nations University in Kansas and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico.
Instructors, a basketball coach, and maintenance workers were among those dismissed in February, leading to instructor shortages, undrinkable water, power outages, and overflowing garbage in dorms.
The lawsuit, filed by the Native American Rights Fund, argues the government violated its trust responsibility to tribes by not consulting them.
Tribal leaders condemn the cuts as a continuation of historical neglect, vowing to protect their communities’ futures.
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