The most recent development to shake the 2,800-student school system was the arraignment of Kathryn Katy M. Wagner, the principal of St. Helens High School, on a six-count indictment Wednesday afternoon in Columbia County Circuit Court.
At 6:58 a.m. on Wednesday, Wagner, 45, surrendered herself to Columbia County Jail and was taken into custody under a warrant. She paid 10% of her $55,000 bond and was freed from custody by the afternoon.
She arrived at the courthouse with her attorney, Jeffrey M. Jones, in tow. Parents, former high school employees, and the two lead St. Helens police detectives working the case were waiting to enter the courtroom along a second-floor hallway. “Your Silence is Sus” was printed on a blouse worn by one of the women.
On Wagner’s behalf, Jones pled not guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment, which are felonies, as well as two counts of first-degree and second-degree official misconduct, which are misdemeanors.
According to the indictment, Wagner neglected to provide care for students under her supervision between roughly November 2018 and November 26, 2024, and failed to report alleged sexual assault involving two teachers as required by law.
Wagner was ordered by Circuit Judge Denise E. Keppinger to refrain from contacting the two high school teachers who were arrested earlier this month on charges of sexual abuse, the alleged victims in those cases, and to refrain from working in any position related to education or that requires mandatory reporting of suspected abuse.
Erin Leigh Brady, the Columbia County Deputy District Attorney, had suggested the final condition, to which Jones had protested.
Jones informed the judge that she is deemed innocent.
He said that his client had dedicated a significant portion of her life to being an educator and contended that the last clause prohibiting her from working in any capacity related to education was unnecessary.
Jones went on to say that everyone is aware of Ms. Wagner and her charges.
However, considering the allegations Wagner is facing, the judge said she thought the restriction was acceptable and asked Wagner whether she would comply with it.
“I do,” Wagner said.
The principal’s arrest is the most recent result of numerous administrative and criminal investigations into claims of sexual misbehavior against administrators and employees, as well as their alleged mishandling of such allegations.
Additionally, it comes just months after the district paid a record $3.5 million settlement to a former student who claimed the district knew about former track coach Kyle Wroblewski’s predatory behavior for over ten years but did nothing before he was arrested for sexually abusing her.
Exactly two weeks after two high school teachers—one active and one retired—were taken into custody on suspicion of sexual abuse, Wagner was indicted.
The 46-year-old Eric Stearns has entered a not guilty plea to seven counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree sex abuse. He is accused of molesting six kids between 2015 and 2024.
Retired math instructor Mark Collins, 64, of Beaverton, entered a not guilty plea to two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of attempted second-degree sexual assault. According to court documents, he is accused of assaulting three students beginning in 2017.
On November 12, Stearns and Collins were both arrested, sparking a flurry of activity that resulted in a high school student walkout and protests in the area. Parents and students have complained that after school officials received complaints regarding inappropriate instructors’ physical contact with their students, they did not take prompt action to stop the wrongdoing.
According to information obtained by police from a subpoena given to the district, students at the time reported alleged inappropriate physical contact between Stearns and Collins to the school administration. However, those reports were never shared with police or state officials as required by law, St. Helens Acting Police Chief Jospeh Hogue told The Oregonian/OregonLive earlier this month.
The brief court session on Wednesday was attended by about 35 persons, including Doug Weaver, the developer of TikTok, who was named as one of the individuals who initiated the investigations.
Students had sent him private messages and left comments on a video he shared in September regarding misbehavior he claimed to have encountered during his time at the high school. In September, he then shared remarks made by St. Helens High students regarding current and former instructors in an email to SafeOregon, a state school safety tip line. According to the acting police chief, students identify Collins throughout the investigation, and Stearns was one of the people mentioned in the comments.
Weaver, who is in town for Thanksgiving, said he wanted to go to the principal’s arraignment in court because he said she had attempted to discredit him following the posting of his film in the autumn.
On September 14, Wagner wrote in response to one of Weaver’s TikTok videos, addressing the student body, faculty, and parents: Retraumatization and reliving previously resolved conflicts make it challenging for the school community to move ahead constructively. Without providing any context, posting videos on social media about incidents that happened more than ten years ago only serves to incite fear, spread unfounded rumors, and hurt our current staff and students who are acting appropriately.
Wagner’s arraignment was also attended by other former parents and instructors from St. Helens High School.
Shane Kennedy, a parent of a sophomore at St. Helens High School and the executive director of SAFE of Columbia, an advocacy organization that assists victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, said she felt obliged to attend the arraignment. According to her, Stearns has led her daughter on out-of-state choir tours and she has had classes with the two professors who were accused. Kennedy stated that although she was not a victim, she was upset that the kids’ grievances had not been resolved sooner.
Terri MacEllven, a former special education teacher at St. Helens High who had reported to Wagner, stated, “I feel the need to do whatever I can here to support the students.” This place has a much too long history. This shouldn’t have happened.
On January 22, Wagner is scheduled to return to court.
Additionally, police are looking into alleged criminal behavior by an uncharged teacher at St. Helens Middle School. Last Monday, the Oregon Department of Human Services declared that it was looking into allegations of negligence against Wagner and Superintendent Scot Stockwell for failing to disclose child safety issues.
Wagner and Stockwell are still on paid administrative leave.
This Monday, acting superintendent Steve Webb declared his intention to name a temporary principal for St. Helens High School. The district’s obligatory reporting standards, reporting of suspected harassment allegations and other wrongdoing, staff ethics, training, and evaluating the district’s culture will all be the topic of an external, independent review that begins Monday, according to Webb.
— 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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