Carlisle Indian School Superintendent John Francis Jr. writes to Commissioner of Indian Affairs Cato Sells regarding the Declaration of Policy, which he believes may prohibit any students from Oklahoma - particularly members of the "Five Civilized Tribes" - or New York from enrolling at Carlisle because they have access to public schools. Francis Jr. is concerned that without these students, the Carlisle will see a large decrease in enrollment and may have to close. He also argues that even if those students can attend public schools, they cannot receive the industrial training that they could receive at Carlisle.
Sells informs Francis Jr. that the Declaration of Policy doesn't prohibit students from Oklahoma or New York from attending Carlisle. Instead, it is intended to save the Office of Indian Affairs money in a variety of ways. First, if a student has "progressive" or rich parents that can afford to send them to the non-reservation school, then they have to pay for the tuition and the transportation to the school. Second, students should attend the nearest non-reservation school to them, except in special circumstances. Students who are poor or are orphans can still receive government aid and can still attend non-reservation schools
