St. St. Helens School Board names interim superintendent amid allegations of sexual misconduct against teachers

PORTLAND, Oregon (KOIN) — Following allegations of sexual misconduct against multiple employees over the past few weeks, St. St. Helens School Board named an interim superintendent Monday night.

Dr. Steve Webb was unanimously elected to lead the district for the next 90 days.

“The board acknowledged the magnitude of the current crisis and the challenges facing the district following recent allegations of employee misconduct and concerns from some district and school leaders regarding a lack of transparency,” the school district said in a press release.

Webb previously served as superintendent of Vancouver Public Schools from 2008 to 2021. Webb vs. Vancouver School Board in 2021 We mutually agreed to part ways Months before he was set to retire from the district.

He is also a senior advisor to the American Association of School Administrators.

“We know it will take a concerted effort and significant time to repair the broken trust between our community and the school district,” said Trinity Monahan, vice president of the board. “We are pleased to have Dr. Webb, a veteran superintendent and highly respected educational leader, join us to help our district and community come together, heal and move forward.”

St. Helens School District, the Oregon Department of Human Services and St. Helens School District. He is under investigation by St. Helens police for an ongoing sexual abuse scandal involving students and allegations that school administrators turned a blind eye to the crimes. .

Since then The first of these allegations was made public in mid-Novemberincluding parents, students and school staff. The St. Helens community marched against what they say is the district’s failure to protect its vulnerable students.

St. St. Helens police first began their two-month investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at the school in September.

“Upon receiving reports of alleged sexual abuse, St. Helens detectives immediately conducted interviews and obtained a subpoena for records related to the allegations,” police said. “In addition to former student victims, other potential victims have also been identified.”

Following the investigation, Eric Stearns was charged with seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of third-degree sexual abuse, while Mark Collins was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of attempted second-degree sexual assault. abuse

Both men were booked into the Columbia County Jail on Tuesday, November 12.

St. St. Helens School District announced in a Facebook post on Friday, Nov. 15 that high school principal Katy Wagner and district superintendent Scot Stockwell have been placed on administrative leave. The State Department also said Superintendent Stockwell was under investigation for neglecting to report child safety concerns.

Officials also announced that school board president Ryan Scholl has resigned from his position.

The following Thursday, November 21, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) announced that Wagner was under investigation for allegedly failing to report safety concerns to law enforcement.

ODHS Friday morning, St. The two St. Helens police officers have not yet been named in a criminal investigation by St. Helens police. Helens High School announced that another employee is being investigated for sexual misconduct allegations. Officials also said Friday that St. Helens Middle School announced that its teacher is under investigation. “aggressive physical contact.”

The district said Webb “will focus on stabilizing district and school leadership, listening to stakeholders, and recommending actions needed to address the district’s current crisis and long-term needs.”

“Our common goal is St. St. Helens School District on a path to a successful future and to ensure that appropriate policies, procedures, systems and personnel are in place for a safe, respectful and professionally ethical learning environment. Every student should feel safe, secure and supported in our schools. We must do significant work to begin rebuilding community relationships and trust,” Webb said.

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