St. Helens School District releases list of staff members on paid administrative leave

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The St. Helens School District has named the teachers and district officials who are on paid administrative leave as students and community members call for transparency from their schools.

Staff members who were placed on paid administrative leave were named in a recent email to families after the district received “multiple public records requests” from community members seeking transparency, according to the St. Helens School District.

The district said nine of the 10 are under pending investigation by outside entities, but would not say whether they are individually tied to ongoing accusations of sexual abuse and failure to report.

In the email, St. Helens officials said the district is “committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and transparent educational environment for our students, staff, families, and community.”

Questions surrounding district officials placed on leave began in mid-November when former teacher Mark Collins and current teacher Eric Stearns were arrested on sex abuse charges. 

The criminal charges were followed by state-led investigations into several teachers and administrative officials, including Principal Katy Wagner who is accused of failing to report these incidents for several years.

The list revealed by St. Helens School District on Friday did not specify the details of what led each staff member to be placed on leave, but did list them by name, office, position, status, and leave date.

The list includes 10 staff members throughout the district, but does not include former teacher Mark Collins, who is currently facing charges in Columbia County. 

The announcement followed calls from community members who have expressed frustration with the district’s transparency. High school students have told KOIN 6 News they are glad the staff members were removed, but added that the ongoing stress caused by this saga has impacted their education.

“They are so concerned about getting phones out of the classroom and the issue is the staff,”  St. Helens High School senior Rowan. “We don’t even know if we can trust the staff anymore.”

On Monday, St. Helens High School senior Misha Bainbridge told KOIN 6 News her civics teacher Mr. Meeuwsen — who is also the union president — was likely among the staff on leave.

"For a while when these names weren't coming out I was like, ‘You [the district] aren't actually being transparent,’ but now it seems they are committed to that,” St. Helens High School senior Misha Bainbridge said.

In response, the district said student safety and community trust is their top priority. 

“We understand that this situation evokes strong emotions within our community,” the district said in the email that included the list. “Thorough, unbiased investigations are critical to building and maintaining trust and integrity. We ask for patience and understanding as these matters are thoroughly and carefully investigated. Our shared goal is to ensure that any decisions made are informed, fair, and capable of withstanding scrutiny.”

The district also clarified that “placing an employee on paid administrative leave is standard practice and does not imply a presumption of wrongdoing.”

The district’s list revealed that two staff members had been placed on leave before the allegations against Collins and Stearns went public, raising new questions about the timeline of events. Meanwhile, Stearns was allowed to teach for nearly two months after police notified the district of their investigation – something still upsetting for many students. 

“Not cool. It should have been immediately that he was out of the school,” Rowan said, also adding, “This is wild. I’ve never had to deal with something like this before and it makes me a little uncomfortable because the district has known.”

J. Marie, a consultant with J. Marie & Associates, said she had been left with several questions about what happened. 

“Who knew what? What did they do once they knew what they knew? So, we will have clarity on that with the report from the third party investigation,” Marie said.

Leaders say the combined costs of leave salaries and substitutes have already cost the district nearly $200,000 as of Tuesday, Dec. 17. That breaks down to $120,000 dollars in paid leave salary and benefits and $64,000 to hire eight subs and two acting administrators.

But Bainbridge said money isn’t the only cost of these absences. 

"We just come to class and none of Meeuwsen’s lessons have been given to the subs, so he can’t continue to give us the lessons,” she said.

More listening sessions are scheduled for next month, as listed below:

• Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025
  6-7:30 p.m.
  McBride Elementary

• Monday, Jan. 13, 2025
  6-7:30 p.m.
  Lewis & Clark Elementary

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.