At least 973 native children died in US boarding schools: report

The Interior Department has revealed that at least 973 American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children died while attending federally operated or supported schools.

The investigation, which was launched by Secretary Deb Haaland in June 2021, updated the list of institutions to 417 across 37 states. 

It also identified at least 74 marked and unmarked burial sites at 65 different school sites.

It said the US government allocated more than $23 billion to support these schools and related assimilationist policies from 1871 to 1969.

Secretary Haaland said the federal government took deliberate and strategic actions through federal Indian boarding school policies to isolate children from their families, deny them their identities, and steal from them their languages.

The report included eight key recommendations, such as issuing a formal apology, investing in remedies for current impacts, and establishing a national memorial.