The board places St. Helens Superintendent Stockwell on leave following teacher arrests for sexual abuse

ST. HELENS, Ore. — Days after news broke of allegations of sexual abuse of students by two teachers in the St. Helens School District, the school board voted unanimously Friday evening to place Superintendent Scot Stockwell on administrative leave.

Also on Friday, the district announced that St. Helens High School principal Katy Wagner had been placed on administrative leave and board chair Ryan Scholl resigned.

“Plans are being developed to continue school activities in a safe manner. These decisions were made thoughtfully and with an emphasis on transparency and accountability within our district. Our goal is to ensure a safe and positive learning environment, with clear steps toward addressing the concerns of our students, families and community members,” the district said in the announcement.

The St. Helens School District announced it would be closed Thursday through Monday. It said it was prioritizing the safety of students and staff.

Stockwell was not present at Friday’s nearly 16-minute virtual board meeting.

“The voices of student, parent and community concerns were heard loud and clear at our last meeting,” acting chair Trinity Monahan said at the meeting. “Specific requests have been made about what plans are being made, who should be held responsible and how to understand certain details and decisions that have been made.”

On Tuesday, St. Helens police officers announced they had arrested a current and a former St. Helens High School teacher on charges of sexual abuse against students. The charges came after a two-month investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at the school.

The current teacher has been identified as 46-year-old Eric Stearns. He teaches choir, according to the district’s website. Court documents show he has been charged with seven counts of sexual abuse.

The former teacher, 64-year-old Mark Collins, is also accused of inappropriately touching minors at school. He has been charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of attempted second-degree sexual abuse.

Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges during court hearings this week.

Students and parents gathered Friday evening at The Village Inn, not far from the district offices, to attend the virtual school board meeting. Dozens of students stood outside with signs in their hands.

“I’m glad everyone came out and we’ve made great progress. The principal was put on administrative leave, but we hope they are fired instead of just the paid leave,” said Avlene Moore, a student government member at St. Helens High School and organizer of a walkout and the student protests. “That’s ultimately our goal, just to get them fired and off the school board. So we can start over and start with those new policies and rules so that students are safe in our schools.”

Marchella Shaefer, a teacher at Lewis & Clark Elementary School in the St. Helens School District, said she has worked there for 28 years.

“I knew in freshman year about this good-old-boys club, and they protect, and they hide a lot of things, and it’s finally happening. I won’t lie, I was afraid to talk for a long time, and now I’m not. You know, we have to protect our children,” she said.

A day after the allegations, hundreds of community members attended an explosive St. Helens School district board meeting.

Parents made their voices heard about the district, telling the board they had lost confidence in them to keep their children safe.

“I feel like if this was our first situation, maybe the police could investigate, but the school district doesn’t have the best track record,” said one community member.

Parents were particularly annoyed that the school did not immediately place Stearns on administrative leave when the investigation began.

One parent told the board, “You are knowingly putting my daughter in danger.”

The district claimed police told them Stearns should not be placed on leave. which the police denied.

Earlier this year, the St. Helens School District reached a $3.5 million settlement with a former St. Helens High School student when she filed a lawsuit. She claimed the district failed to protect her from a teacher who posed a sexual danger.