Teachers and parents of children who died in the care of Chemawa Indian School, or shortly after being removed from the facility, are demanding that Congress hold the Salem boarding school accountable.
For over a year and a half, Oregon U.S. Reps. Kurt Schrader and Suzanne Bonamici have been pressing for answers from the Department of Interior on issues raised by an Oregon Public Broadcasting investigative series, which highlighted allegations of fraud, mismanagement, lack of transparency and abuse at the school.
The series reported on the deaths of three Chemawa students, one of whom died on campus and two of whom died shortly after leaving the school. A fourth student, Robert Tillman, died in Wyoming less than two weeks after leaving Chemawa, after the series was published.
Repeatedly, Schrader and Bonamici have not been allowed to speak with anyone at the school. Questions they’ve submitted to the federal agency either have not been answered, or have taken multiple months for a response.
The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on May 16 in Washington, D.C., to receive testimony on Chemawa and discuss possible solutions.
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Natalie Pate 