ASD updates graduation guidance to include carrying tribal regalia; aligns wording with state law
Summary
The governance committee reviewed AR 50.127, clarifying that students may wear and carry tribal regalia and objects of cultural significance at graduation and that the regulation’s language was aligned with Alaska law (HB 152); ARs are informational and do not require board approval.
Anchorage — The Anchorage School District governance committee reviewed Administrative Regulation 50.127 on May 8 and discussed edits to align graduation regalia language with recent Alaska state law addressing tribal regalia.
Tony Riley, senior director for equity and community engagement, told the committee the administrative regulation was created with input from the district’s Native advisory committee, METAC and Alaska Native cultural experts. Riley said administrators revised the regulation to explicitly allow “carrying tribal regalia and objects of cultural significance” and to adopt the statutory language used in HB 152.
The committee treated the AR as an informational item; administrative regulations do not require board approval unless the board requests a change. Committee members offered no objections to moving the revised AR forward as drafted. “ARs are presented as an informational item and don't require board approval,” the chair said during the discussion.
Committee members who spoke supported the clarification and thanked staff for the consultation with tribal advisors. There was no recorded motion or vote; the district will reflect the revised language in the AR and present it as an informational item to the full board if further action is requested.
The committee’s review focused on aligning local administrative language with state statute and ensuring cultural advisers were consulted during drafting.
