St. Helens to appoint interim superintendent Monday
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- The St. Helens School District, in a state of upheaval in recent weeks over sex abuse allegations against teachers and administrators, will hold a special school board meeting Monday night to appoint a new interim superintendent.
The 6:30 p.m. meeting is virtual only, district officials said. Those who wish to watch can do so online.
There is no school this week for students in the St. Helens district, which was planned before the sex abuse charges became public. Monday and Tuesday are scheduled for conferences. Wednesday and Friday are "non-contract" days and Thursday is Thanksgiving.
Why an interim superintendent
A total of six staff members with the St. Helens School District are under investigation by the Oregon Department of Human Services in an ongoing sex abuse scandal involving students as well as allegations of school administrators turning a blind eye to these crimes.
Since the first of these allegations went public in mid-November, the St. Helens community — including parents, students and school staff — have rallied against what they claim to be the district’s failure to protect its vulnerable students.
St. Helens police first began its two-month investigation into the school’s sex abuse allegations in September.
“After receiving reports of the alleged sexual abuse, St. Helens detectives immediately conducted interviews and obtained a subpoena for records related to the allegations,” police said. “Former student victims were identified, and additional potential victims were also identified.”
Following the investigation, Eric Stearns was charged with seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of third-degree sexual abuse, and Mark Collins was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of attempted second-degree sexual abuse.
Both men were lodged in the Columbia County Jail on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
The St. Helens School District announced in a Facebook post Friday, Nov. 15, that the high school’s principal Katy Wagner and the district’s superintendent Scot Stockwell had been placed on administrative leave.
In the same post, officials also announced that school board chair Ryan Scholl had resigned from his position. The district added that, in the absence of a board chair, the role was left to vice chair Trinity Monahan.
The following Thursday, Nov. 21, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) announced that Principal Katy Wagner was under investigation for allegedly failing to report safety concerns to law enforcement.
The ODHS announced Friday morning that two more St. Helens High School employees were also being investigated on allegations of sex abuse, though they have not yet been named in a criminal investigation by St. Helens police.
The state department also said Superintendent Stockwell is under investigation for neglecting to report child safety concerns.
One reason for the special meeting to appoint an interim superintendent on Monday stems from the fact that if an interim superintendent for the St. Helens School District isn’t appointed within 14 days, the state will make a recommendation for the position.
KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.