Indigenous parents reclaim traditional governance in Bismarck schools

This move towards traditional governance began at a Sept. 12 meeting, where committee members proposed adopting an Indigenous model. To guide the transition, they enlisted Cheryl Kary, executive director of the Sacred Pipe Resource Center, and Natasha Gourd, a peacemaking facilitator from the Native American Rights Fund.

Gourd, a Spirit Lake Nation citizen, presented on Indigenous peacemaking—a community-driven conflict resolution process. At one time, we were called ‘The Orators of the Plains.’ This is one way to reclaim that ability to talk to each other and bring issues out into the open.” The approach engages all parties, relying on collective wisdom to seek understanding, promote healing, and prevent future conflicts.

“I would just say that in adopting this, I think it’s sending a message to administration that there are other ways of doing this,” Gourd said. “It’s an Indigenous practice. It’s something we’re used to.”

Some examples of ground rules include: peacemaking is voluntary; listen with respect; it’s okay to disagree; and be tough on the problem – not the person. In this process everyone gets a chance to speak without interruption, and people only speak for themselves, not the whole group.

This new model would shift from a Euro-Anglo-American value system to one rooted in Indigenous values. These Indigenous values emphasize respect, responsibility and community. They encourage group problem-solving, involve an “expert” to facilitate discussions, and seek to achieve a shared understanding.

Parents expressed their support for the idea, prompting the IPAC members to ask Kary and Gourd to revise a draft of the bylaws accordingly. Sections of the Johnson O’Malley Indian Education Committee and Title VI American Indian Parent Committee bylaws were revised to include an Indigenous governance structure. Both women reviewed all the changes with attendees at the last meeting on Sept. 24.

The most significant suggestions from the JOM bylaws pertain to meetings, parliamentary authority and the grievance procedure.

Article VI – Meetings: This article states, “In recognition of traditional Indigenous practices of governance, consensus-based decision-making will be used for most Indian Education Committee meeting decisions. An annual training will be provided on the principles of consensus-based decision-making. In situations where an official vote is required to comply with district, state, or federal regulations, Robert’s Rules of Order will be used.” The same is written in Article VII – Parliamentary Authority.

Article IX – Grievance Procedure: “Indigenous peacemaking/restorative justice practice will be used at the request of any Indian Education Committee officer or parent that believes a conflict has occurred or by consensus of the IEC. Requests will be made to any IEC officer and any such requests will be forwarded to the district. Within two weeks of such a request, the officer and/or district shall consult with an individual or organization proficient in Indigenous peacemaking/restorative justice practices and make arrangements to utilize such services.”

If Indigenous peacemaking isn’t feasible, members will follow the original process: submitting a written grievance to the IEC for investigation and action.

These revisions can serve as a guide. “You can formalize the practice however you want,” Kary said.

Other sections of both bylaws remain unchanged. “We just added another feature to the bylaws that allows you the flexibility to use consensus as well as Robert’s Rules of Order,” Kary said. “So, we didn’t take it away. We’re going to use this, but there’s still mechanisms in here that you could fall back on if you needed to.”

The committee will still use Robert’s Rules of Order, a formal parliamentary procedure, as needed for district matters. “If you’re requesting to change a policy, you’ll still need an official vote that shows the majority of parents,” Kary said. Other topics such as event planning and discussing ideas don’t require Robert’s Rules of Order.

Gourd, the former IPAC vice chairperson, talked about how the current governance structure they’ve been using has been confusing to learn and less welcoming. “It was a very trying process because we were new members and we were barely getting used to Robert’s Rules of Order – it was really stressful,” she said. “And then, years down the road, I attended the National JOM Conference and found out that we don’t need all of those regulations to operate as a parent committee. We could fully operate on our own rules.”

Tomi Cimarosti, the Indigenous Education Director at Bismarck Public Schools, supported the committee’s decision to proceed with adopting this new governance structure. “There’s a time right now where we can start fresh,” she said. “ However IPAC wants to run IPAC, Dr. Fastnacht stands right behind it.”

The next meeting on Oct. 29 will continue discussions on transitioning to an Indigenous governance structure and amending the bylaws. In the meantime, final edits will be made and shared with parents and community members for their review and feedback.

Gourd said she is looking forward to seeing things change for the better. “I just think that it’s important to recognize that this is going to create less obstacles for families to participate,” she said. “It will create a more welcoming environment for families to be heard. We’re trying to make it a little less stressful and more supportive of working together for our kids.”