An Oregon high school principal was charged Tuesday with criminal charges for turning a blind eye to years of sexual abuse of teenage girls by “pedophile” teachers who “groomed” their students, authorities said.
St. Helens High School Principal Katie Wagner has been charged with two counts of felony criminal abuse after two teachers under her supervision were arrested for sex crimes that lasted nearly 10 years, NBC 16 reported.
The school received complaints against choir teacher Eric Stearns, 46, and recently retired teacher Mark Collins, 64, early in 2019, but Wagner failed to notify law enforcement and even allowed Stearns to remain in the classroom after police began their investigation.
The teachers' arrest on November 12 sparked an uproar among parents and students, who organized protests near campus and attacked officials at a school board meeting, claiming they ignored years of warnings against “pedophile” teachers who “lured” their students.
The drama began in September, when former student Doug Weaver, 36, posted videos on TikTok accusing school officials of protecting a “group” of male teachers who abused children when he attended St. Helens High School in the 2000s.
Current students responded to the videos claiming deviant behavior was still ongoing, and shared their own stories of stalking, lewd comments and inappropriate touching at the hands of Stearns and Collins.
Stearns is accused of sexually assaulting six underage girls between 2015 and 2024, while Collins is accused of assaulting three female students between 2017 and 2023.
When their victims spoke out, they were ignored or even punished by Wagner and other officials, parents and students alleged at a school board meeting held after the arrests.
“Why didn't you do anything?” One of the students said, naming the school employees other than the detained teachers. “[We] I don't want to be near pedophiles!
Another student said that when she was 14, Stearns would chase her around the classroom and during lunch break, hugging her, kissing her on the head and saying he loved her.
When her mother complained, Wagner refused to intervene, forcing her to hire a lawyer to explore legal protections for her daughter, she said.
“I'm amazed that the superintendent has the courage to show their faces,” the student said, adding to board members: “You are all responsible. You are all guilty.”
On Tuesday, the District of Columbia charged Wagner with failure to report child abuse and failure to provide physical care to students, according to a court document seen by NBC 16.
On top of the felonies, Wagner faces four misdemeanor charges: two counts of first-degree official misconduct and two counts of second-degree official misconduct.
The state Department of Human Services is also investigating Wagner — as well as St. Helens School District Superintendent Scott Stockwell — for failure to report complaints to law enforcement, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
