Paul Ongtooguk grew up witnessing countless instances where his friends were shipped off to boarding schools.
“You would just be loaded onto a plane and taken to a school,” Ongtooguk said. “A village would get emptied out during the fall of any students who were high school age eligible.”
According to a report by the University of Alaska, by 1969, at least 2,076 Alaska Native children had been enrolled in a secondary boarding school. Ongtooguk became emancipated and was able to avoid going to a boarding school, yet, the eerie memories are still there.
“I was surprised by the schools in how little they regarded the history and culture of the overwhelming majority of students who were attending the schools,” Ongtooguk said.
He recalls that every year, the numerous students committed suicide. The trauma the boarding schools caused have created a lasting impact.
On Dec. 15 2020, the Department of Justice announced they had reasonable cause to believe Alaska was violating Title II of the Americans With Disability Act “by failing to provide services to children with behavioral health disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.”
The investigation also drew parallels between the boarding schools and the removal of youth from their hometown for mental health treatment.
“The experience of PRTF placement can be devastating for children—and uniquely so for Alaska native children, compounding the trauma of past generations when Alaska Native youth were routinely taken from their communities and sent to boarding schools, including some run by the State or the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs,” the report said.
Read more at AlaskaNewsSource.com.
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