Cherokee Nation council adopts amendment to Title 31 to shift school accreditation toward cultural standards

The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council voted to adopt an amendment to Title 31 that sponsors say will shift accreditation oversight for the Nation’s immersion schools from state-centered requirements to standards rooted in Cherokee language and culture.

Chief of Staff Bunch introduced the legislation and described it as an update to the existing language act with "a couple of minor tweaks" intended to allow the Nation to take "a new step and a new direction" in managing language efforts. He offered to answer questions from council members before the vote.

Deputy Speaker Kevin Easley said the change moves the Nation "away from the state accrediting body toward a more culturally ... accreditation process for our schools," and argued that it will give immersion programs the latitude needed to immerse students in language and culture. "I think it's going to give them the latitude that they need to ensure that our kids are truly immersed," Easley said.

Counselor Danny Callison, who identified himself as an educator with 42 years of experience, said he supported the measure "100%," adding that the amendment helps immersion schools do "the things that we know are best for our people."

The clerk conducted a roll-call vote. The clerk recorded several affirmative votes and noted that Ashley Grant, Lisa Hall and Julia Coats were absent; the clerk declared the motion adopted. After the vote, Deputy Speaker Easley remarked, "This is a good day in the Cherokee Nation, especially for our language," and thanked Howard Peyton for attending. The council set its next meeting for Monday, July 13 at 6 p.m. at tribal headquarters in the WW Keeler complex and then adjourned.

The amendment, as discussed at the meeting, is intended to increase accountability measures across language acquisition, academics, college and career readiness and school safety while asserting the Nation’s authority over language programming. The legislation text and the ordinance/act citation on the record were described as amending "Title 31 of the Cherokee reservation." The meeting record did not include the full legislative text or specific implementation timelines; staff offered to follow up with additional details if needed.