PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A total of six staff members with the St. Helens School District are under investigation by the Oregon Department of Human Services in an ongoing sex abuse scandal involving students as well as allegations of school administrators turning a blind eye to these crimes.

Since the first of these allegations went public in mid-November, the St. Helens community — including parents, students and school staff — have rallied against what they claim to be the district’s failure to protect its vulnerable students.

Below is a timeline of events, from the first reported cases of abuse to the current status of the investigation.

2015

Eric Stearns, a choir teacher, and Mark Collins, who recently retired from teaching at the high school, have been accused of sexually abusing nine students on campus over the course of several years, according to court documents.

The first allegations of sex abuse at St. Helens High School were recorded in 2015, according to police.

Court documents allege that Stearns, 46, inappropriately touched six students while Collins, 64, abused two students and tried to inappropriately touch another between the years of 2015 and 2023.

November 2023

Before his retirement, Collins briefly worked as a substitute teacher at Scappoose High School for seven days between Oct. 30, 2023, and Feb. 9, 2024, according to Scappoose officials. He had not been under investigation during this period.

A week after news broke that Collins had been named in the St. Helens investigation, a student came forward to report an incident from Nov. 13, 2023, in which “a few students heard what they interpreted as pornography playing on an electronic device where Mr. Collins was sitting.”

More students were interviewed to share their experiences, and the district said it immediately notified the St. Helens Police Department.

September 2024

St. Helens police first began its two-month investigation into the school's sex abuse allegations in September.

“After receiving reports of the alleged sexual abuse, St. Helens detectives immediately conducted interviews and obtained a subpoena for records related to the allegations,” police said. “Former student victims were identified, and additional potential victims were also identified.”

Nov. 12, 2024

Following the investigation, Stearns was charged with seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of third-degree sexual abuse, and Collins was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of attempted second-degree sexual abuse.

Both men were lodged in the Columbia County Jail on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Collins posted $50,000 in bail.

Nov. 13, 2024

Stearns appeared virtually in Columbia County Court to plead not guilty on all counts on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

That night, hundreds of parents attended a school board meeting to ask why they weren’t told about the two-month investigation and why the school hadn’t placed the choir teacher on leave during this time.

According to District Board chair Ryan Scholl, school administrators had asked police whether Stearns should be placed on administrative leave, claiming that “law enforcement said no.”

However, Scholl’s claim during a school board meeting was later refuted by Chief Joseph Hogue who checked the body cam footage when officers served the subpoena and told KOIN 6 News that “at no point did the officers tell the school district or advise the school district in any way to not put the teacher on admin leave.”

Nov. 14, 2024

A protest involving parents, students, and community members at St. Helens High School and district offices led the school to close its doors early Thursday, Nov. 14 and remain closed through the following Monday. The demonstrations continued for two days.

The same day, Collins pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in Columbia County Court.

Nov. 15, 2024

The St. Helens School District announced in a Facebook post Friday, Nov. 15, that the high school’s principal Katy Wagner and the district’s superintendent Scot Stockwell had been placed on administrative leave.

In the same post, officials also announced that school board chair Ryan Scholl had resigned from his position. The district added that, in the absence of a board chair, the role was left to vice chair Trinity Monahan.

As protests continued, some community members called the move to place the leaders on administrative leave a step in the right direction. Others demanded more action from the remaining board members.

Nov. 21, 2024

The following Thursday, Nov. 21, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) announced that Principal Katy Wagner was under investigation for allegedly failing to report safety concerns to law enforcement. 

Chief Hogue said the St. Helens Police Department was not made aware of incidents that had been recorded by the school since 2019, despite the school having a legal obligation to notify law enforcement.

“They are mandatory reporters at school, of course, so they’re obligated to either notify us or the Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division,” Hogue said.

The same day, the police department also announced an investigation into “criminal conduct” involving a teacher at St. Helens Middle School after a report claimed the teacher had been engaging in alleged “offensive physical contact” with students.

Nov. 22, 2024

The ODHS announced Friday morning that two more St. Helens High School employees were also being investigated on allegations of sex abuse, though they have not yet been named in a criminal investigation by St. Helens police. 

The state department also said Superintendent Stockwell is under investigation for neglecting to report child safety concerns.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek shared a letter with the City of St. Helens in reaction to the ongoing situation, adding that she is “taking this issue very seriously and I offer my sincere condolences for the current situation that your community is facing, including the trust broken by the lack of transparency and immediate response to the allegations by district leadership.”

What’s next?

At the time of this article’s publication, two teachers — Eric Stearns and Mark Collins — face charges related to sex abuse on the St. Helens High School campus, and a St. Helens Middle School teacher is under criminal investigation for “offensive physical contact” with a student.

Meanwhile, ODHS has opened six investigations within the St. Helens School District, including additional abuse allegations and allegations that mandatory reporters failed in their duty.

The administration at St. Helens High School has been given mandatory reporting training, and Kotek said that the staff at both the middle and elementary school will also be receiving the training.

St. Helens police said their investigations have also led them to more potential victims in the area. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact law enforcement.

If an interim superintendent for the St. Helens School District isn’t appointed within 14 days, the state will make a recommendation for the position.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story continues to develop.