The Bureau of Indian Affairs says it never asked a public school district in California to take over students from Sherman Indian High School.

Bart Stevens, the deputy director of school operations for the Bureau of Indian Education, said it proposed some sort of collaboration between Sherman and the Riverside Unified School District. "The goal was just to enhance the academic program through a joint effort by both agencies," Stevens told The Riverside Press-Enterprise.

But school district officials told a different story. They said the BIA wanted to transfer all 9th and 10th grade students to Riverside.

"Instead of continuing to serve their kids with reduced resources, they were looking for help," deputy superintendent Mike Fine said.

The request reportedly came as the BIA was planning to eliminate 34 jobs at the school. Some have stayed on at the school, the Press-Enterprise said.

Get the Story:
Sherman Indian School asked help from Riverside Unified (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 3/10)

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