Note: This story involves sexual abuse. If you or someone you know may be a victim of sexual abuse, confidential support, information and advice are available at the National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 800-656-4673. Text chat is also available online.
The state of Oregon has launched an investigation into St. Helens High School Principal Katy Wagner for allegedly failing to report child safety concerns.
The latest news comes in the wake of revelations that the district had received complaints about alleged sexual abuse involving two high school teachers as early as 2019. The Department of Human Services, which typically handles cases of alleged child abuse, confirmed to OPB on Tuesday an investigation against Wagner for failing to forward the abuse reports was underway.
Under Oregon law, some members of the community are required to report suspected abuse to authorities; school employees and teachers, among others, are mandatory reporters under the state’s statutes. While everyone should report suspected abuse or neglect, the state’s Department of Human Services website notes, some people have a legal obligation to do so.
“Children often can’t or won’t speak up if their parents, caregivers or other people are abusing them. They rely on you and others in the community to recognize when something isn’t right and to help protect them,” the DHS website states.
The outside of St. Helens High School on Nov. 15, 2024.
Joni Land / OPB
Wagner and District Superintendent Scot Stockwell have been placed on paid administrative leave. Students, parents and other community members have called on both officials — along with all school board members — to resign or be removed.
St. Helens police officers arrested choir teacher Eric Stearns, 46, and recently retired math teacher Mark Collins, 64, on Nov. 12, both of whom are charged with sexual abuse of several students over multiple years.
The investigation started after police received a tip from Doug Weaver, a former graduate of St. Helens High School, who made TikTok videos with concerns about predatory staff members while he attended the school. Students commented on his videos sharing their own troubling experiences, which prompted Weaver to report the abuse to the police.
“Stearns and Collins’ arrests cap a two-month investigation that was initiated by the St. Helens Police Department regarding allegations of historical sexual abuse which occurred at St. Helens High,” a press release from the city of St. Helens stated.
Widespread protesting around the high school led to district officials canceling classes for three days. Students returned on Tuesday.
St. Helens Police Chief Joseph Hogue said that on Nov. 15, his department discovered multiple reports of alleged victims, mostly between 2019-2023, that had been submitted to the district. For the same time period, the state confirmed they had received zero reports from mandatory reporters, not just those concerning Stearns and Collins.
Once the state’s Office of Training, Investigations and Safety (OTIS), which is part of the state’s Department of Human Services, has completed its report, it will notify law enforcement, the school district, the Oregon Department of Education, the Oregon Teachers Standards and Practices Commission, and the person who reported the concern with its findings.
The Columbia County District Attorney’s office confirmed it’s also investigating whether the district violated the law by not forwarding the reports.
Correction: The department investigating St. Helens High School Principal Katy Wagner has been corrected to the Oregon Department of Human Services. OPB regrets the error.