ST. HELENS Ore. (KPTV) – Like more St. Helens School District teachers, staff under investigation When it comes to abuse allegations, some parents say they don’t feel safe sending their children to school.

Although many parents in the district have not officially unenrolled their students, they are also not sending them to school. However, this could lead to students being automatically disenrolled due to an Oregon law.

Tiffany Cooper unenrolled her freshman daughter on Nov. 12 when St. Helens High School teacher Eric Stearns was arrested on sexual abuse charges related to his work at the school. Cooper’s daughter was in Stearns’ music history class and is now attending virtual school.

“She’s adjusting really well,” Cooper said. “She has been logging into her class online for the past few days.”

As her daughter was settling in, new allegations of student-involved criminal conduct against a St. Helens Middle School teacher came to light.

Cooper’s son was in this teacher’s class.

“So I’m very uncomfortable,” Cooper said. “Not only was my daughter allowed to stay in a classroom with someone under investigation, but now my son is too. »

But Cooper said she can’t pull her son out of school as easily as her daughter, because he is a special education student and has an IEP.

“He’s a kid who learns best with practice,” Cooper said. “He learns better in the classroom and virtual would be just devastating.”

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Even though her son has not returned to class since the new allegations were made, time is running out. Oregon has a 10-day drop rule, so if a student misses nine consecutive days of school, they are automatically disenrolled on the 10th day.

“I’m trying to figure out how to deal with this because I don’t want to ruin everything he’s worked so hard for, but I don’t feel safe around him at the same time,” Cooper said.

Cooper and other parents are now calling on the Oregon Department of Education to suspend the 10-day rule for St. Helens parents.

“It is not our fault as parents, nor the children’s fault, that this situation occurs. They shouldn’t be penalized or have that added fear hanging over their head of being excluded from enrollment if they don’t feel safe returning,” Cooper said.

The school district did not say how many students were not enrolled Friday.

ODE said in a statement:

“The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is committed to ensuring that all children are safe in school and can learn to their full potential. Questions about the 10-day drop rule were not raised.

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Friday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek released an open letter to the St. Helens community. The letter said:

Dear St. Helens Community,

It is with a heavy heart that I speak to you today. Over the past week, I have been closely following developments in the St. Helens School District and community following the arrest of a current district employee and a district employee retired.

My duty as governor and superintendent of public education is to ensure the safety and well-being of all students who enter our schools, every day. I take this matter very seriously and offer my sincere condolences for the current situation your community is facing, including the trust broken by the lack of transparency and immediate response to allegations from district leadership.

As you know, the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Training, Investigation and Safety (OTIS) is investigating these allegations of abuse and whether the district’s mandatory reporters breached their duty. legal to report suspected child abuse. Once their investigations are completed, they will share their findings with local law enforcement, the school district and the appropriate state agencies so that those entities can take appropriate action to hold accountable anyone who failed to complete its legal obligation to report suspected child abuse. Additionally, OTIS provided mandatory reporting training to St. Helens High School administrative staff this week and will provide training to St. Helens middle and elementary school administrators by the end of December.

Our children rely on us to recognize when something is wrong and to protect them by calling the Abuse Hotline to report suspected abuse or neglect at 855-503-SAFE (7233). The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

My team worked with the Oregon Department of Education, education partners, and our congressional delegation to support the district. I understand that an interim superintendent will be appointed quickly. If this expectation is not met within 14 days, I am prepared to intensify the state’s engagement with the district and make a recommendation for an interim superintendent.

I stand with you and your community as you continue to deal with the impacts of this situation.

Sincerely,

Governor Tina Kotek

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The St. Helen’s School Board said it is taking steps to minimize any further disruption to school operations.

A public meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 25 at 6:30 p.m. to consider appointing an interim superintendent and introduce him to the community.

Friday evening, a town hall meeting was hosted by St. Helens Mayor-elect Jennifer Massey to discuss opportunities to improve the school system and “address concerns regarding mandatory reporting and proposed changes to legislation.”

Massey is pushing for new national legislation to ensure that failure to report child abuse becomes a criminal offense.

Other speakers included Oregon Senator Suzanne Weber and Miss Oregon.

Doug Weaver, TikTok creator and former St. Helens resident, also attended the town hall Friday evening.

Weaver is often credited with notifying the St. Helens Police Department of sexual assault allegations through his TikTok content. He says after sharing his own uncomfortable experiences at St. Helens High School, several community members contacted him with more concerning allegations about the school district.

“I want to make sure I didn’t put out videos and cause a lot of chaos in the neighborhood so this doesn’t turn into something good. I want this to turn into a very significant change in the future,” says Weaver.

The parents of “Jessica Doe,” the victim of a 2019 sexual abuse case involving a former St. Helens High School teacher, spoke at the meeting via Zoom.

Earlier this year, the St. Helens School District agreed to pay Doe $3.5 million.

“How many more of our children will have to suffer harm before real change is made? they asked.

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