In the midst of ongoing criminal and state investigations into the St. Helens School District’s handling of student sexual misconduct complaints, a former Oregon school superintendent has promised to carry out an independent internal investigation into the district’s culture, mandatory reporting policies, and staff ethics.
For 11 years, until June 2023, Dave Novotney oversaw 21 school districts in Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties as the superintendent of the Willamette Education Service District. Prior to this, he served as the Dallas School District’s superintendent for three years, the Dallas High School principal for four years, and the deputy superintendent for the service district.
According to the district, Novotney will examine district records and speak with officials, staff, students, and parent leaders.After parents and kids flooded board meetings and turned to the streets of St. Helens to demand accountability, the district’s acting superintendent promised to bring in an outside investigator.
Thomas DeLapp, a new communications assistant employed by the district to handle the ongoing situation, stated that Novotney began this week to conduct a thorough investigation into what transpired, including who knew what and when.
“We are dedicated to finding the truth about this,” DeLapp stated during a press conference on Friday.
According to DeLapp, the district has received unsubstantiated accusations of additional alleged victims since the arrests of a retired teacher and a current St. Helens High School teacher on Nov. 12 on suspicion of sexually abusing minors.
“We want people to let us know if there are any more victims or allegations out there,” he said.
“Steve Webbmet, the acting superintendent of St. Helens, met with the city’s acting police chief Thursday to ensure that the district is in agreement and assisting with any ongoing criminal investigations,” DeLapp said. According to DeLapp, Webb was not present for the video press conference on Friday because he was out of the district attending to obligations at his house.
Superintendent Scot Stockwell and Principal Kathryn Katy Wagner of St. Helens High School, who was arrested last week and is now on paid leave, are still receiving their salaries from the district. According to the district, they will continue to be on paid leave while criminal and other administrative investigations are conducted.
In a six-count indictment, 45-year-old Wagner has entered a not guilty plea to two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and two counts of first- and second-degree official misconduct, respectively.
Police ActingAccording to information obtained by police from a subpoena given to the district, students at the time reported alleged inappropriate physical contact between choir teacher Eric Stearns and retired math teacher Mark Collins to the school administration. However, those reports were never shared with police or state officials as required by law, Chief Joseph Hogue told The Oregonian/OregonLive last month.
Both Stockwell and Wagner are under investigation by the Oregon Department of Human Services for allegedly failing to report child abuse as required. Every employee at the institution is required to report.
The 46-year-old Stearns is charged with the abuse of six pupils from 2015 until 2024. On seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of third-degree sex abuse, he entered a not guilty plea.
On two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of attempted second-degree sexual abuse, Collins, 64, entered a not guilty plea. He is charged with mistreating three pupils beginning in 2017.
A student walkout at the high school and a protest in the area were the results of the commotion caused by Stearns and Collins’ arrests. Parents and students have complained that when school officials received their reports, they did not take prompt action to stop the alleged abuse.
Christine Ellis, who will act as principal at St. Helens High School, and Webb, who will act as superintendent, have both signed 90-day renewable contracts with the district.
According to the deal, Webb will receive $17,647.15 per month for the first three months, for a total of $52,941.45. A request for Ellis’s salary through public records has not yet received a response from the district.
The district attempted to minimize any conflict that may have existed between Webb and his previous employer, Vancouver Public Schools, which resulted in his retirement in the middle of the 2021 school year after being placed on paid leave, in written responses to some of the queries asked by members of the media on Friday. According to The Columbian at the time, he received $455,000 as part of a retirement deal. Webb and the district agreed to refrain from disparaging one another on a personal and professional level as part of that agreement.
According to St. Helens School District officials, the Vancouver School Board decided to take a different approach after the outbreak in February 2021, and by mutual consent, they drafted a severance agreement with Webb, an at-will employee.
According to DeLapp, any delays in informing the public have resulted from a leadership vacuum following the resignation of the school board chair and the placement of the high school principal and superintendent on leave.
“We were unsure of who would be in charge of the system,” he stated. We are committed to providing our community with information as soon as possible because we know they are very anxious.
Later this month, Webb plans to hold listening sessions at a number of schools. The high school listening session is scheduled for December 17 at 6 p.m. in the high school commons and December 18 at 6 p.m. in the St. Helens Middle School cafeteria. Next year, during winter break, there will be one Spanish-speaking session and two more primary school-based sessions.
— Maxine Bernstein writes about criminal justice and federal courts. You may contact her at [email protected], 503-221-8212, or follow her on LinkedIn or X@maxoregonian.
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