Tribal Consultation on the Executive Order on Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families

Dear Tribal Leader and Indian Education Stakeholder: 

On January 29, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) to expand educational freedom and opportunity for families. The EO Section 7 directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) within 90 days to review any available mechanisms under which families of students eligible to attend Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools may use their Federal funding for educational options of their choice, including private, faith-based, or public charter schools. EO Section 7 also directs the Secretary to submit a plan to the President describing such mechanisms and the steps necessary to implement them for the 2025-26 school year. 

To meet the deadline set by the President in the EO, BIE is expediting the formal Tribal consultation process to provide Tribes and critical Indian education stakeholders the meaningful and timely opportunity to review and comment on the EO, generally, and possible authorities available to the BIE. Rather than the usual 30-day notification period, BIE is providing a two-week, 14-day notification period that still provides the necessary announcement for meaningful engagement while addressing the timeline set forth in the EO.

Consultation will be conducted to seek input from Tribes and stakeholders on the EO and related topics including: 

1. any available mechanisms that could provide families of eligible students use of Federal funding for educational options of their choice including how any such mechanisms will be funded;
2. to the extent that there exist any such mechanisms to implement in the 2025-26 school year, the eligibility criteria for students in the plan referenced in the EO;
3. educational options near existing BIE-funded schools that could provide potentially eligible students local flexibilty to attend a non-BIE school, such as private, faith-based, or public charter schools. 

Two 2-hour webinar sessions are scheduled to afford time for input. Because of the unique mission of the BIE, both sessions are open to Tribal leaders or their delegated representatives or designee, and/or for school boards, parents, teachers, and other public stakeholders. Oral and written comments will also be accepted for one week through 11:59pm PT on Friday, March 21,2025. 

• Friday, March 14, 2025
  • 12 p.m. –2 p.m.
  • Register in advance for this meeting: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/HDTBTbOKT72CmE4OUHaWDg
     
• Friday, March 14, 2025
  • 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
  • Register in advance for this meeting: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/g4way6hSSiaRUcwNASJ_JA#

The language of the Executive Order is located at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidentialactions/2025/01/expanding-educat…. The BIE recommends reviewing the language prior to attending a consultation session or submitting written comments for providing meaningful feedback.

If you would like to provide written input, please either email your comments to consultationcomments@bie.eduor mail to Ms. Juanita Mendoza, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 3609, Washington DC 20240. If you have any questions regarding the Tribal consultations, you may contact Ms. Juanita Mendoza by phone at (202) 208-3559 or by email at juanita.mendoza@bie.edu.