Federal audit underway for Oregon’s Native American boarding school

At a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, pressed BIE Director Tony Dearman to outline what his agency and Chemawa are doing to improve the school's overall performance, from hiring practices to student safety.

"Chemawa has a complex and painful history including recent concerns related to student health and safety, academic shortcomings, treatment of employees, questionable hiring practices and a lack of financial transparency and oversight," Bonamici said. "I've been working since 2015 to obtain accurate timely information from Chemawa leadership,(Bureau of Indian Affairs) and BIE, and I continue to be concerned about the outcomes and safety of Native youth, especially at Chemawa."