Two years ago, the Winner School District was accused of coercing confessions and unfairly disciplining American Indian students for breaking school rules and committing minor infractions.

The families of 14 students were represented by the national American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of South Dakota and Rapid City attorney Dana Hanna.

The lawsuit ended after an agreement was reached between the families and the school district after two days of mediation in May.

The settlement agreement remains in effect until the district substantially complies with its terms for four consecutive years.

Under the terms of an agreement, the school district has agreed that it will:

- Not require students to write statements that can be

used to prosecute them in court.

-Hire a full-time ombudsman to serve as a liaison between

Indian families and school officials, particularly on disciplinary issues.

-Work with an educational expert and American Indian families to set benchmarks for improving Indian-student graduation rates, reducing levels of suspension and school-based arrests and improving the overall climate for American Indian students.

-Have a committee of Indian parents and school officials review all disciplinary incidents each quarter for racial disparities and recommend policy changes if problems are found.

-Provide training for students on conflict resolution and training

for teachers on racial bias and educational equity.

-Include American Indian themes in mainstream curriculum, school activities and after-school activities, and offer classes in Indian language, culture and history.

-The district will also pay $100,000 in attorney's fees for the plaintiffs.