The Association of California School Administrators hasn’t taken a position on Ramos’ bill, but their attorneys apparently agree with Clovis’ stand.
“Districts have to have some parameters, otherwise you’re going to end up with a free-for-all on the night of graduation,” attorney Sloan Simmons said in an April podcast advising the state’s school administrators. “That’s the only rational way to handle this.”
The California Department of Education formed a task force to study the issue. The task force was supposed to create a report for the Legislature by April 2023, but it hasn’t yet. Meanwhile, the Department of Education is advising school districts to consult with local tribes if they opt to have a pre-approval process for regalia.
Trump’s anti-DEI orders
Another potential barrier to graduation regalia is President Donald Trump’s announcement in February that the federal government would withhold school funding to districts that have diversity policies and programs, specifically mentioning graduation ceremonies. A judge temporarily blocked the order last month, saying it was overly vague, and California more recently filed a separate lawsuit to stop the order.
Meanwhile, confusion persists over any school policy that singles out or gives special treatment to a particular ethnic group.
Heather Hostler, executive director of California Indian Legal Services and a member of the Hoopa Valley tribe in Humboldt County, said she’s not worried about Ramos’ bill defying Trump’s order because recognized tribes are sovereign nations over which the federal government has no authority, she said.
The push for tribal regalia started as a way to tout the accomplishments of Native students, whose graduation rate — 80% — lags behind the state average of 87%. It’s also a way to strengthen Native culture by raising awareness and giving Native communities something to rally around, Ramos said.
“When someone graduates, it’s a big deal,” Ramos said. “The whole tribal community comes together. It makes sense that you’d be gifted something for your accomplishment.”
History of discrimination
Other recent laws, many by Ramos, have also addressed the treatment of Native Americans in K-12 schools. One law bans Native American school mascots. Another updates history curriculum to include the genocide of Native Californians.
These laws are meant to help reverse more than a century of discrimination against Native students in California schools, said Morning Star Gali, founder and executive director of Indigenous Justice, an advocacy group.
Until the 1970s, many Native young people were sent to boarding schools where they were forced to abandon their language and culture. History curriculum often glamorizes the Mission and Gold Rush eras, when Native tribes suffered devastating losses.
In light of that, wearing tribal regalia at graduations “should not be a contentious issue,” Gali said. “Our young people deserve to walk with dignity and pride. To deny them that is a continued form of cultural extermination.”
Ethan Molina, a senior at Clovis West High School and a member of the Pascua Yaqui tribe, got district approval to wear an eagle feather on his mortarboard at graduation next month. The feather was a gift at a recent powwow.
But he did not get permission to wear a sash embroidered by his aunt for the occasion. The sash reads “Class of 2025,” sewn in burgundy, blue, orange and red, significant colors for the tribe.
“I was confused,” Molina said. “It’s not political or anything. I didn’t really get why they’d deny it.”
His mother complained to the district and they’re waiting to hear a response. Meanwhile, Molina is just eager to graduate.
“I’m happy I get to wear the eagle feather,” he said. “But I’m also pretty excited about leaving school.”
