A report from an investigation by the Interior Department, commissioned by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, released on May 11, 2022, “highlighted the abuse of many of the children at the government-run schools, such as beatings, withholding of food and solitary confinement.” (New York Times, May 11, 2022)
“[B]etween 1819 and 1969, the United States operated or supported 408 boarding schools across 37 states (or then-territories), including 21 schools in Alaska and 7 schools in Hawaii. . . . This report confirms that the United States directly targeted American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children in the pursuit of a policy of cultural assimilation that coincided with Indian territorial dispossession.” (Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report, May 2022) The report highlights conditions endured by the children and recommends further investigation.to examine the consequences of the boarding schools on Native Americans.