St. Helens High School principal under investigation for neglect amid teacher sex abuse case
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- St. Helens High School principal Katy Wagner is under investigation for allegedly failing to report safety concerns amidst sex abuse allegations against teachers at the school, authorities said.
Last week, news broke that two teachers, one former, had been arrested due to sexual abuse allegations involving students at St. Helens High School.
In the wake of the news, the school closed for several days, the board chair resigned, Superintendent Scot Stockwell was placed on leave and principal Katy Wagner was put on administrative leave.
The St. Helens School Board is working to appoint an acting superintendent as of Thursday afternoon.
According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, as part of their investigations into the school, Wagner is being investigated for "allegations of neglect due to failure to report child safety concerns."
According to Acting Chief Joseph Hogue, the St. Helens Police Department was not made aware of the incidents that have been recorded by the school since 2019, despite the school having a legal obligation to notify law enforcement.
"They are mandatory reporters at school, of course, so they're obligated to either notify us or the Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division," Hogue said.
The accusations against teacher Eric Stearns, 46, and former teacher Mark Collins, 64, came after a two-month investigation, during which time Stearns continued to work at the school. Both educators pled not guilty in court.
Parents and students were outraged by the handling of the situation, resulting in protests and the school closing for several days.
“Fire some people and drain the swamp, start over,” said parent Marcella Schaffer. “I’m a teacher and I support these kids and what they’re going through in our district. It’s about time light was shown into this darkness.”
During an emergency board meeting on Friday, vice chair Trinity Monahan, assuming the role of board chair after the previous chair stepped down, acknowledged that she believed the community had "lost faith" in the district after how the situation was handled.
On Thursday night, people gathered at the Columbia Center Auditorium to formulate a list of demands they're hoping to bring to the district in the future. It's part of a newly-minted group called SHHS Protest.
The protest group discussed other future plans, such as holding a campout at the high school, holding fundraisers for students who used their own money for protesting materials in the past and organizing more protests next month.
"I hope that we are able to stay organized and we are able to follow through and things are able to be done. You know, it gets complicated when, you know, people do work, people do have lives outside of this, and this, at this point, to me, feels almost like a full time job," Saint Helens parent Shannon Koelzer told KOIN 6.
The school district is now searching for an interim superintendent, and the board told KOIN 6 that they will be holding meetings every week while they figure out the next steps.