land in Murphy, North Carolina. The Tribe has operated a court system since 1987. Tribal police have exclusive police jurisdiction on Indian lands. The FBI and other federal agencies have jurisdiction to handle certain major federal criminal offenses. NC State Troopers, motor vehicle inspectors, wildlife officers, state alcohol agents, SBI agents, and other state peace officers assigned to counties that overlap with the Qualla Boundary can be called to assist tribal law enforcement officers, and can be commissioned as "special officers" of the Department of Interior to assist in federal investigations. Non-tribal members charged with a crime in Qualla Boundary are referred to local county courts. Administrative divisions The Qualla Boundary is divided into seven communities, which are similar to townships. There are no municipalities, instead each community elects two representatives to the EBCI tribal council; except for Cherokee County and Snowbird, which share two representatives to the EBCI tribal council. Cherokee, a census-designated place (CDP), overlaps most of Painttown and Yellowhill, with a small portion also in Wolftown. Education From 1890 to 1954, the U.S. Indian Service (later renamed the Bureau of Indian Affairs) operated the Cherokee Boarding Schools in Cherokee. It was replaced with elementary day schools in Big Cove, Soco, Birdtown, and Snowbird. In 1962, all elementary day schools were consolidated into Central Elementary School in Cherokee. In 1975, Cherokee High School was opened with grades seven through twelve. On August 1, 1990, Cherokee Central Schools became a tribally operated school district, with students assigned from Big Cove, Birdtown, Painttown, Wolftown, and Yellowhill communities. In 1996, the school district established the Kituwah curriculum for kindergarten through sixth grade, which incorporates the Cherokee language; prior to this, the Cherokee language was not permitted when it was operated under the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 2004, the EBCI established the New Kituwah Academy, a private bilingual Cherokee- and English-language immersion school for Cherokee students in kindergarten through sixth grade, located in the Yellowhill community. Western Carolina University Cherokee Center Established in 1975, in cooperation with the EBCI, it is the headquarters for all outreach and involvement between Western Carolina University with residents in the Qualla Boundary and outside surrounding communities. Providing services including application process, transcript request, scholarships, internships placement, high school recruitment, as well as college level courses. The Cherokee Center is led by a Director and supported by an advisory board composed of representatives from the EBCI