Top law enforcement officials in Columbia County say the St. Helens School District received allegations that two high school teachers sexually abused students over a period of several years and failed to share that information with authorities.
St. Helens Acting Police Chief Joseph Hogue said Friday that his department subpoenaed the district in October and found historical reports made by students detailing allegations that the district had not previously disclosed. A police investigation led to the arrests this week of choir teacher Eric Stearns and recently retired math teacher Mark Collins, who are charged with sexual abuse of multiple students from 2015 through last year.
The school district never informed law enforcement or state officials about the reports of sexual abuse, which is required by state law, Hogue said.
Students protest outside St. Helens High School in St. Helens, Ore., on Nov. 15, 2024. Two teachers were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting students, leading to outrage among the student body.
Joni Land / OPB
“There were multiple historical reports made to high school administration from 2019 to 2023 and this also corroborated the victim statements that (detectives) had previously received,” Hogue said. Teachers and school administrators in Oregon are required to report allegations of sexual abuse.
Columbia County District Attorney Joshua Pond said Friday his office is investigating whether the district broke any laws by not forwarding the reports to law enforcement. Court documents filed by prosecutors on Nov. 8 indicate at least six student victims.
Hogue said the investigation began with a tip from a TikTok user who is a St. Helens alum. That led to detectives identifying an alleged victim in the comments of one of the videos. From there, detectives found and interviewed additional victims and witnesses.
“These comments began naming Eric Stearns, a current teacher at the St Helens High School,” Hogue said. “During the course of these interviews, a second teacher who was now retired, but that name came up as well.
Police arrested Stearns and Collins on Tuesday, quickly sparking citywide outrage over the alleged abuse. It came to a head at a very contentious school board meeting Wednesday night.
In response to student-led protests, the high school was closed on Thursday, and all district schools were closed on Friday.
Early Friday, dozens of enraged students and parents gathered outside St. Helens High School for a second day of protests, with calls for St. Helens School District Superintendent Scot Stockwell, High School Principal Katy Wagner and all school board members to resign or be removed.
Students protest outside St. Helens High School with signs on Nov. 15, 2024. Many said they felt betrayed by school officials.
Joni Land / OPB
The school board voted unanimously to place Stockwell on paid administrative leave during an emergency board meeting Friday evening. The board said it would vote on a replacement at the next meeting.
Board Vice Chair Trinity Monahan said the board would make more decisions on the district’s future at an upcoming board meeting.
“The community has lost faith in a number of different things for the district,” Monahan said.
Parents and students alike told OPB their anger stemmed from the appearance that school officials knew of allegations against these teachers for years and failed to act.
Jorja, a senior at the high school, was one of dozens of students protesting on Friday. She said students were heartbroken after news broke about the arrests.
“There’s a lot of issues going on that we feel are being ignored,” Jorja said. “But the thing with Stearns really just tipped us over the edge.”
Anthony, another senior, said he had a close bond with Stearns during his high school career and said his teacher was “like a father figure to me.” Stearns' arrest felt like a betrayal.
“I just remember sobbing and crying in my mom’s arms, because it hurt so bad,” Anthony said. “My friends are freshmen, and they deserve to be safe in this school for as long as they attend.”
A student holds a sign during a protest outside St. Helen's High School on Nov. 15, 2024. Dozens of students and parents have protested for two days, after two teachers were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting students.
Joni Land / OPB
Stearns is facing seven counts of second-degree sex abuse and one count of third-degree sex abuse involving six different students.
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.
On Friday, the district announced on Facebook that Wagner was placed on administrative leave and that Board Chair Ryan Scholl had resigned from his position.
None of the members at Friday’s meetings announced plans to resign.
Stockwell has served as superintendent since 2015, while Wagner has been principal since 2018.
The outside of St. Helens High School on Nov. 15, 2024.
Joni Land / OPB