Multiple Teachers ARRESTED—Massive Cover-Up Exposed

Oregon’s St. Helens School District knowingly allowed multiple teachers to sexually abuse students for decades while administrators buried complaints and violated mandatory reporting laws—a systemic failure that has now triggered criminal prosecutions, resignations, and a cascading pattern of abuse allegations across the state.

Story Snapshot

St. Helens School District administrators arrested and resigned after failing to report sexual abuse allegations spanning nearly four decades, violating Oregon’s mandatory reporting statute
Former teacher Gene Evans, who later served as a state spokesperson for child protection agencies, allegedly groomed and assaulted students in the late 1980s while the district took no action
Choir teacher Eric Stearns and math teacher Mark Collins arrested on multiple sexual abuse charges; Stearns indicted on additional counts after eight more victims identified
The institutional negligence at St. Helens reflects a broader pattern of school district failures across Oregon and nationally, with similar cases resulting in multi-million-dollar settlements

Decades of Abuse Hidden Behind Institutional Silence

The St. Helens School District operated for nearly four decades without basic safeguards to protect students from sexual predators employed within its walls. Beginning in the late 1980s, former teacher Gene Evans allegedly groomed and sexually assaulted multiple students while remaining employed. Despite widespread knowledge among staff that Evans had “crossed lines,” the district documented no formal complaints and reported nothing to law enforcement, directly violating Oregon’s mandatory reporting statute requiring immediate notification of suspected abuse.

The contradiction between public duty and private negligence became starkly apparent when Evans later served as a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Education and Department of Human Services from 2011 to 2017, publicly advocating for child protection while his alleged abuse history remained concealed. This hypocrisy encapsulates the institutional failure: the system designed to protect children elevated a man with an undisclosed history of exploiting them.

Criminal Charges Expose Leadership Failures

In November 2024, the full scope of the district’s negligence became public when police arrested choir teacher Eric Stearns and retired math teacher Mark Collins on multiple counts of sexual abuse. More significantly, St. Helens High School Principal Katy Wagner was arrested on charges of criminal mistreatment for deliberately failing to forward abuse reports to authorities—a direct violation of her legal and ethical obligations. School Board Chair Ryan Scholl resigned, and Superintendent Scot Stockwell resigned in March 2025 following months of paid leave, signaling institutional acknowledgment of systemic failure.

The arrest of an administrator for failing to report abuse represents a critical shift toward personal accountability. Wagner’s criminal charges demonstrate that school officials cannot hide behind institutional roles when they deliberately suppress information about child abuse. Stearns subsequently faced additional indictment on January 2, 2025, after investigators identified eight additional victims, expanding the scope of abuse and institutional negligence.

A Pattern of Institutional Negligence Across Oregon Schools

The St. Helens cases are not isolated failures but reflect systemic vulnerabilities across Oregon’s educational system. A school district in Oregon settled a sex abuse lawsuit for $3.5 million in June 2024 involving a teacher who sexually abused a student for over a decade while district officials knew of the abuse but took no action. Similarly, a Washington school district settled for $3.2 million in 2025 after a teacher groomed and abused a student beginning in middle school, with the district ignoring countless warnings from concerned parties.

The pattern demonstrates that school districts across the country have failed to implement adequate safeguards, hire and vet staff responsibly, or enforce mandatory reporting requirements. Institutional cultures routinely prioritize protection of the institution over protection of students, creating environments where abuse persists unchecked. The emergence of a lawsuit filed in November 2025 by former Cascade High School students accusing English teacher Etta Archer Gross of sexual abuse confirms that institutional failures extend far beyond St. Helens.

Corrective Measures and Questions About Accountability

In March 2025, the St. Helens School District board passed a corrective action plan addressing sexual abuse prevention, including hiring a school resource officer, conducting monthly meetings with local police, and implementing annual culture surveys. However, experts emphasize that procedural reforms alone cannot remedy the fundamental problem. As one analyst noted, the issue is ultimately about “people who are in charge getting it and caring enough about abuse to commit to doing whatever is reasonably necessary to make sure that it doesn’t happen.”

The corrective action plan represents an attempt to rebuild institutional safeguards, but its effectiveness remains uncertain. The district’s spokesperson claimed in March 2025 that “the district office found no complaints or reports made against Gene Evans,” despite OPB’s documentation of widespread rumors and conversations about his conduct among staff. This contradiction suggests either a deliberate failure to document complaints or a mischaracterization of institutional records—either way, a failure of accountability.

The St. Helens cases have exposed the vulnerability of Oregon’s educational system to institutional negligence and abuse. As civil litigation against school districts accelerates and criminal prosecutions proceed, the pressure on Oregon legislators to strengthen mandatory reporting enforcement and accountability mechanisms will intensify. The fundamental question remains: will Oregon’s schools prioritize student safety over institutional protection, or will the pattern of abuse and institutional failure continue?