MCLAUGHLIN, S.D. – Naomi Johnson was devastated, she said, when she saw what her girls were carrying off the bus that transported them home to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation from the Flandreau Indian School: “big bags of medicine.”
Naomi Johnson said she cried when she found out her granddaughter and niece had been prescribed medication without her knowledge or consent while attending Flandreau Indian School. She is photographed May 18, 2024, outside her home in McLaughlin, South Dakota, on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
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The Flandreau Indian School Student and Parent handbook explicitly states, "Failure to take prescribed medication is a Health and Safety issue and can result in FIS disciplinary action.”
K’lyn Ducheneaux holds a bag of pills she said she brought home to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation from the Flandreau Indian School. She is photographed on May 18, 2024, at her home in McLaughlin, South Dakota.
The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Health Center, photographed on May 16, 2024, provides health services to Flandreau Indian School students.
Rogene Crawford, who worked at Flandreau from 1999 until 2022, said she doesn't believe parents and guardians knew their kids were medicated while attending the school. She is photographed May 15, 2024, outside her home.
The Flandreau Indian School, photograph May 15, 2024, has an enrollment of 112 students this school year.
The Bureau of Indian Education-operated Flandreau Indian School has been educating Native American students since the late 19th century. Students, parents and former staff have raised concerns about the school's current medication practices.
Naomi Johnson, K’lyn Ducheneaux, Santana Vazquez and Tabitha Vazquez, Santana's mother, left to right, are photographed May 18, 2024, outside their home on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
Areonna Grey Bear, left, and Annabel DeMarce began to question the Flandreau Indian School's medication policy after their daughter and granddaughter returned home with a prescription they say they weren't informed about. They are photographed May 20, 2024, on the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota.
Lorenda Grey Bear said the use of psychotropic medication at Flandreau, which her daughter attended, meant staff missed opportunities to talk with students and families “about what the real issue is or what's really bothering you.” She is photographed May 20, 2024, on the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota.
“They kept these kids on uppers and downers like Prozac and trazodone," said former Flandreau staffer Dorothy McLean. "I don't think the parents were informed, period.” She is photographed May 17, 2024, at Monument Health in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Annabel DeMarce, whose granddaughter attended Flandreau, believes medications were a convenience for staff who didn’t “want to deal with” normal forms of teenage rebellion. She is photographed May 20, 2024 on the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota.
Naomi Johnson, who is the guardian of two kids who attended Flandreau, said she had high hopes for their time at the boarding school. “I wanted them to get a good education,” said Johnson, who is photographed outside her house on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in May 2024.
In this Series
Special Report: Problems persist within federal schools for Native Americans
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Native American kids cite abuse, danger at understaffed school, feds join calls for reform
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One year later, federal response to parental concerns about Native school still unclear
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Untrained employees mishandled kids’ meds at Native American boarding school, staff allege
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