ST. HELENS (OR)
Oregon Public Broadcasting [Portland, OR]
November 15, 2024
By Rob Manning and Joni Auden Land
Parents are demanding school board resignations in a district that agreed last spring to a $3.5 million sex abuse settlement.
St. Helens School District closed all schools and offices Friday, after two teachers were arrested for alleged sexual assault against students. The school closure comes two days after a raucous school board meeting, in which parents demanded the superintendent and school board members step down.
Earlier this week, St. Helens, Oregon, police arrested teachers Eric Stearns, who was still on staff, and Mark Collins, who had retired recently from his career teaching math at St. Helens High School. Stearns is facing seven counts of second-degree sex abuse and one count of third-degree sex abuse involving six different students. Stearns is listed on the high school’s web site as the choir teacher.
According to the indictment filed in Columbia County court, Stearns began his pattern of criminal sexual abuse against students in 2015 and may have continued through 2023.
Collins is facing two counts of second-degree sex abuse and one count of attempted second-degree sex abuse. The allegations against Collins cover a period of six years, involving three different students.
St. Helens High School has a history of sexual abuse from long before the allegations came to light against Collins and Stearns. Nearly 20 years ago, teacher and coach Kyle Wroblewski began years of inappropriate behavior and sexual abuse against students. Wroblewski was arrested in 2019, and earlier this year the St. Helens School District agreed to pay $3.5 million to “Jessica Doe,” a former student who Wroblewski subjected to abuse. It was one of the largest settlements ever paid by an Oregon school district.
A large group of students and parents protested outside St. Helens High School on Thursday, as captured by KGW-TV. District leaders responded by closing the high school Thursday, and then closing all schools Friday.
Some in the St. Helens community claim that district officials knew of the teachers’ conduct for years and failed to act. At a minimum, some parents argue the district knew a current high school teacher was under investigation, and school leaders should’ve removed him from the classroom.
The St. Helens School District has said little publicly about the brewing controversy. OPB messages left with district officials have not been answered.
Officials said in Friday morning’s announcement that the closure would allow the district “to address recent events impacting our school community and prioritize the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”
All evening events have also been canceled.