ST. HELENS (OR)
The Oregonian [Portland OR]
November 15, 2024
By Beth Slovic
The St. Helens School District announced late Thursday that all schools and offices would be closed Friday “to address recent events impacting our school community and prioritize the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”
The closure follows the arrests Tuesday of a St. Helens High School teacher and a retired St. Helens High teacher on allegations of child sex abuse. On Thursday, students protested outside the school, where one of the accused men had been allowed to continue teaching while under police investigation, KGW Channel 8 reported.
All Friday evening events are canceled as well. School district officials said they expect schools to reopen Monday.
In 2019, a St. Helens High teacher was convicted of sexually abusing a student on the track team. That teacher had received his first reprimand for inappropriate behavior with female students in April 2008. This March, the St. Helens School District agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle the abused student’s civil rights suit accusing district leaders of failing to stop the teacher before his arrest.
It was the largest sex abuse settlement ever paid by a public school district in Oregon.
— Beth Slovic is an editor on the public safety and breaking news team. Reach her at 503-221-8551 or bslovic@oregonian.com.