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PDFFrom ICTMN:
Miranda Washinawatok, Menominee, and her family have been in the public eye since the 12-year-old was punished back on January 19 for using her Native American language in class.
The family has received apology letters from the teacher who reprimanded Miranda, the assistant coach who benched her from that night’s basketball game and the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay. But Tanaes Washinawatok, Miranda’s mother, still feels three people have earned termination.
She’s asking the Catholic Diocese, which runs Sacred Heart Catholic School in Shawano, Wisconsin, to remove the principal, the teacher and the assistant coach.
Tanaes said that Julie Gurta, the homeroom teacher who reprimanded Miranda, didn’t accept responsibility for her actions, but blamed a lack of communication.
“Any disciplinary actions taken were not targeting the use of her Native language,” Gurta wrote, reported The Shawano Leader. “Rather, disciplinary actions were taken in response to the disrespectful comments and behaviors exhibited by Miranda over the course of the entire day.”
Gurta goes on in the letter to apologize for not bringing these issues to the attention of the family sooner, but does apologize for her actions. Native News Netork reported that she slammed her hands on Miranda’s desk and said: “You are not to speak like that! How do I know you’re not saying something bad? How would you like it if I spoke in Polish and you didn’t understand?”
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