URL: https://www.indianz.com/News/archives/003365.asp

Thursday, January 22, 2004

Alcohol use among teens at the Chemawa Indian School in Oregon is rampant, The Oregonian reports.

Students say it is easy to drink on campus without being questioned. They say they are almost never stopped by security guards.

Some students go off campus to drink. The school lets students leave at their pleasure as long as they don't miss classes and are back by 9 p.m. Neighbors said they have found students passed out on their lawns or have seen them staggering back to campus.

Students who are caught drinking are given Breathalyzer tests and are sometimes placed in a "holding cell" to sober up. That's where Cindy Gilbert Sohappy, 16, died. The autopsy stated the cause of death as alcohol poisoning.

Eight of 10 students at the school receive counseling for substance abuse, according to The Oregonian.

Get the Story:
Drinking widespread, and deadly, on Chemawa campus (The Oregonian 1/17)

Oregonian Special Series:
Warm Springs - A Place Where Children Die

Relevant Links:
Warm Springs Tribes - http://www.warmsprings.com

Related Stories:
Autopsy: BIA student died of alcohol poisoning (1/16)
Oregonian: Alcohol, drugs and abuse destroy family (01/07)
Terry Cross: U.S. has failed Indian children (12/15)
Warm Springs teen dies at BIA boarding school (12/12)

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