The Office of Indian Education is excited to share the Indigenous Family Special Education Comprehensive Guide, the full Mini-Guide Series, and the District and ESD Implementation Guides are now complete and ready to share with tribal partners, districts, ESDs, and most importantly – our Native families.
This has been a significant lift for the Office of Indian Education, representing years of work to ensure Indigenous families have clear, culturally grounded, and legally accurate information about their students’ special education rights and services. These resources are the first of their kind in our State and reflect OIE’s collective effort to bring visibility, understanding, and advocacy support to Native families navigating complex systems.
This project represents more than a deliverable—it’s a commitment to healing, agency, and equitable access for Native families who have too often been underserved or misunderstood in special education. Thank you all for the feedback, guidance, and heart that went into shaping these final products.
Included in the series:
At the end of each guide we included some common questions and answers on the topic presented.
Support for School Districts and ESDsThe Office of Indian Education has created Implementation Considerations for School Districts and ESDs to provide support to how these guides are utilized with families. There are four phases a district can follow to implement the guides based on your district context (size, staffing, capacity, Native Education programming, etc) and vision for their use based on student needs. There is also guidance for how ESDs can support districts in the implementation of these guides.
For more information about these guides or how to bring a training to your community, please email Stacy Parrish, Indian Education Specialist at stacy.parrish@ode.oregon.gov