ST. HELENS, Ore. — In a significant reaction to recent allegations of sexual abuse involving educators, a school district in northwest Oregon has placed both its superintendent and high school principal on leave. Additionally, the chair of the school board has resigned, and classes have been temporarily suspended amidst protests regarding the alleged misconduct of a current and a former high school teacher.
This week, the police in St. Helens announced that they had arrested one current teacher and one retired teacher from St. Helens High School following a two-month investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving students. The district decided to cancel classes and after-school activities for both Thursday and Friday due to demonstrations at the school. Students and parents took to the streets, demanding the resignations or removal of the district’s superintendent, Scot Stockwell, high school principal Katy Wagner, and all members of the school board.
As a result of the tumult, Wagner has been placed on paid leave, and Board Chair Ryan Scholl has stepped down from his role, according to a district social media post released on Friday. Reports indicate that Superintendent Stockwell also received paid leave during a school board meeting held on Friday afternoon.
During the protests, parents and students expressed their frustrations to a local media outlet, claiming that school officials appeared to have been aware of allegations against the teachers for an extended period but did not take appropriate action. Choir teacher Eric Stearns, 46, faces multiple charges including seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count for third-degree sexual abuse related to six students. He entered a not guilty plea to these accusations in Columbia County Circuit Court earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Mark Collins, a recently retired math teacher aged 64, has also pleaded not guilty to charges that include two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of attempted second-degree sexual abuse involving three students. Efforts to reach legal representation for both Stearns and Collins were unsuccessful, as they were not listed in current jail records.
Joseph Hogue, the Acting Police Chief of St. Helens, disclosed that his department had issued subpoenas to the school district in October, which led to the discovery of prior reports submitted by students that detailed allegations against the two educators. According to Hogue, state law mandates that school districts inform law enforcement or state officials about such reports.
“There were multiple historical reports made to high school administration from 2019 to 2023, which also corroborated the victim statements that detectives had previously received,” Hogue stated.
In response to these developments, Columbia County District Attorney Joshua Pond announced that his office is currently investigating whether the school district failed to comply with legal obligations by not reporting these allegations to law enforcement.
St. Helens is a small city situated approximately 28 miles (45 kilometers) northwest of Portland, along the scenic Columbia River. The situation continues to unfold, and the community is grappling with the implications of the recent events.