LAME DEER — Lame Deer's elementary and middle schools are facing the loss of state accreditation unless test scores improve by February of 2029.
The schools are currently on an intensive assistance designation, and the Montana state school Superintendent Susie Hedalen's office is alerting them of the consequences if progress isn't made.
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According to the Office of Public Instruction, the schools have been failing to meet state standards for years and are routinely not improving learning the core subjects of math, reading and language arts.
Lame Deer mother Kristina Red Bird said the designation reflects concerns she has carried for years about her daughter's education.
"I feel like they're setting our kids up to fail," Red Bird said Tuesday afternoon. "What concerned me was what she was being taught and how she was being taught and the teachers that were teaching her."
Red Bird said her daughter has faced challenges in the Lame Deer school system that have derailed her educational progress and offer limited opportunities for growth.
"I'm having a hard time talking because this is very personal to me, and I'm getting very upset about it," Red Bird said. "We do have a lot of smart kids here. A lot of smart kids here. But if they're not getting challenged and they're bored, they're not going to go to school."
Last week, the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Education Department released a statement that the high school was in danger of losing its accreditation. However, the Montana Office of Public Instruction told MTN it is the Lame Deer elementary and middle schools that could lose state accreditation.
Tribal council candidate Ron Stevens says losing the schools would be significant, with other educational options too far away. The loss of state accreditation would take away state funding and also not allow the school to hand out state-certified diplomas.
"The tribe is in danger of losing their accreditation due to their attendance and test scores and everything else like that," Stevens said. "There's just not schools close enough to help support our students."
Stevens said the issues extend far beyond the classroom, with families struggling for basic necessities.
"A lot of them don't have running water or electricity, a lot of them have to figure out what their next meal is going to be and that's not right," Stevens said.
Both Stevens and Red Bird said it will take an entire community effort to fix the problem and that it's important to invest in the youth.
"Our youth is the next generation and we need to ensure that we can equip the next generation to succeed," Stevens said.
Red Bird said she's remaining positive, hoping that pressure from the state will lead to change.
"If we don't start focusing on our people, when it comes to our children and even on into high school, it's partly our fault too," Red Bird said. "With everything that's happening right now, it opens the door to do better. I've got to stay hopeful. I can't just give up."
