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The US Bureau of Indian Education fell short in laptop procurement, lack of internet access, and guidance for educators, leaving Native American students behind during the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in recent testimony to the Senate.
Melissa Emrey-Arras, the director of the Government Accountability Office’s Education, Workforce, and Income Security team testified to the Committee on Indian Affairs Wednesday. Though the Bureau made progress in securing internet access as the country turned to distance learning during the pandemic, this progress was hampered by a laptop shortage for Native American students.
“The delayed order, delivery, and distribution of laptops to some students put them at risk of falling behind their peers,” said Emery-Arras during her testimony. She also noted that schools serving Native American students did not receive laptops in time for the start of the school year and, in fact, some had not been distributed as of March 2021, according to Law360.
“In addition to delays stemming from nationwide IT shortages, two other factors primarily delayed the order, delivery, and distribution of laptops to students: incomplete information on schools’ IT needs and insufficient IT expertise and capacity at some schools,” pointed out an accompanying report issued by the GAO.
The report also detailed the lack of instruction provided to educators of Native American students. The GAO found that a guide provided to educators by the bureau focused on in-person teaching and offered scant direction on how to teach students virtually.
The Bureau of Indian Education received $220 million under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in 2020, noted the GAO in its report, along with another $400 million in 2021. Additionally, the Senate approved more than $850 million for the bureau under the American Rescue Plan Act in March.
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