Under current state law, native parents have the right to request an excused school absence for their child for when they bring their children to their cultural ceremonies and the child is not able to attend school that day. Unfortunately, many parents are not aware of this right or how to request an excused absence from their school. Lozen Miranda Brightman, a student at the Met High School in Sacramento and an intern at Youth Forward, has written a paper on this topic to help inform native families in California of their rights in this area and has developed recommendations for education leaders in how they could further support native families. Lozen is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Her paper includes a sample letter a parent can use to request an absence. To read Lozen’s paper, please click HERE. To access the sample letter, click HERE.
