"The Diocese of Green Bay has apologized to the family of a Native American Catholic school student who was reprimanded for speaking in her native language during class and to the Menominee Nation, the tribe to which the student's family belongs.

The Feb. 22 apologies followed an incident Jan. 19 in which 12-year-old Miranda Washinawatok, a seventh-grader at Sacred Heart School in Shawano, was suspended from playing in a basketball game at her school because of the classroom reprimand.

The reprimand and game suspension led to meetings between the Washinawatok family, Menominee tribal leaders and school officials. Later, according to the family, after public apologies promised by the Sacred Heart principal Dan Minter were not delivered, representatives of the Diocese of Green Bay became involved.

The letters were written by Minter and Joseph Bound, director of the diocesan Department of Education.

"On behalf of the Diocese of Green Bay, I wish to apologize for the events that led up to, and have followed, the benching of Miranda for a basketball game at Sacred Heart School, in part, for her use of the Menominee language in school," wrote Bound. "We wish we could change how that was handled. The truth is that we cannot undo any damage that was inflicted and we are keenly aware of the emotions that have come to bear as fallout in this incident.""

Get the Story:
Diocese apologizes to student reprimanded for using her native language (Catholic News Service 3/6)

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