In northwest Oregon, a school district is facing some serious upheaval. They’ve put their superintendent and high school principal on leave, accepted the resignation of the school board chair, and even had to cancel classes for a couple of days.
This all comes after a significant backlash over the arrests of two teachers—one current and one retired—who are facing sexual abuse charges.
According to the St. Helens Police Department, these arrests were made following a two-month investigation into allegations that both teachers had sexually abused students.
The situation escalated when students staged protests at the high school, demanding that Superintendent Scot Stockwell, Principal Katy Wagner, and all members of the school board either resign or be removed from their positions.
As a result of this unrest, classes and after-school activities were called off on Thursday and Friday. Wagner has been placed on paid leave, while Board Chair Ryan Scholl stepped down from his role.
During a school board meeting on Friday afternoon, Stockwell was also put on paid leave.
Parents and students expressed their frustration to Oregon Public Broadcasting about how it seemed like school officials had been aware of these allegations for years but did nothing about them.
The choir teacher Eric Stearns, who’s 46 years old, is facing seven counts of second-degree sex abuse along with one count of third-degree sex abuse involving six different students; he pleaded not guilty in court this week.
Meanwhile, Mark Collins, a recently retired math teacher aged 64, has pleaded not guilty to charges related to two counts of second-degree sex abuse and one count of attempted second-degree sex abuse involving three students.
Efforts by The Associated Press to reach out for comments from Stearns or Collins have not panned out so far; there are no listed attorneys for them in jail records either.
Acting Police Chief Joseph Hogue mentioned that his department issued a subpoena to the district back in October and found historical reports made by students regarding these allegations against the teachers.
He pointed out that state law requires schools to report such matters to law enforcement or state officials.
Hogue noted there were multiple reports made between 2019 and 2023 that matched what victims had previously told detectives. Columbia County District Attorney Joshua Pond is currently looking into whether the district may have violated any laws by not passing these reports along to law enforcement agencies.
On Friday night, district officials announced that the high school will stay closed on Monday. They need that time to prepare for a safe reopening on Tuesday.
The district emphasized that their main priority is to create a secure and supportive learning atmosphere, while also addressing the worries of students, families, and community members.
Just so you know, St. Helens is a quaint little city situated roughly 28 miles (or 45 kilometers) northwest of Portland, Oregon, right by the Columbia River.