Parents Share Back-to-School Plans for their Families as Pandemic Continues

Host Leah Lemm explores how Indian Country in MN is responding and adapting to the current pandemic health crisis.

On today’s show, Host Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) looks at how parents and families are grappling with the challenge of heading back-to-school as the pandemic continues.

Reporter Melissa Townsend spoke with three different parents about how they are gearing up for the school year and making decisions that best meet the needs of their school-age children.

We hear from Ryan Dixon (Oglala Sioux Tribe) who lives in Lower Sioux Indian Community and is a Dakota language teacher. Ryan Dixon has three children – a college freshman, a 9th grader, and a 7th grader. Ryan teaches in two high schools and the tribal immersion program.

We also hear from Susan Beaulieu (Red Lake Nation) who lives in Brainerd, MN. She has 4 kids, ages 21, 10, 6, and 2 years old.  Susan Beaulieu works for the UMN Extension with Mille Lacs and Fond du Lac on opioid abuse prevention and treatment, and her husband works outside the home.

And we hear from Sheila Lamb (Eastern Cherokee and White Earth Ojibwe) who lives in Cloquet near Fond du Lac. Sheila Lamb has two daughters – a high school junior and senior, and her youngest is on the autism spectrum so she’s been homeschooling for about a year with an IEP. Sheila works at Lifehouse with vulnerable youth who have been trafficked and she has been working from home since the start of the pandemic with a flexible work schedule.