A pair of teachers at St. Helens High School in Oregon were arrested last week on charges of sexual abuse taking place over the past nine years, and school administrators are being lambasted by the public for reportedly covering up the molestation.
46-year-old Eric Stearns, the choir teacher, and recently retired teacher Mark Collins, 64, allegedly sexually abused at least nine underage girls from 2015 to 2024.
According to KGW 8, school officials received complaints of sexual abuse in 2019, but seem to have ignored the allegations and never contacted law enforcement.
Furthermore, Stearns continued teaching after the school was notified police had launched an investigation against him.
The law enforcement investigation began shortly after a former student of the school posted a viral TikTok video in September accusing several teachers of engaging in illegal sexual activities with students when he attended St. Helens.
@dougweaverart I am so proud of everyone who has found the courage to speak out in the past few weeks! #accountability #education #information #reports #schooldistrict #greenscreen ♬ original sound – dougweaverart
Current students then reached out to the TikTok user in response to his video and made allegations of molestation by Stearns, at which point the ex-student contacted the police.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported former St. Helens teacher Kyle Wroblewski pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual abuse in 2019, with the district eventually settling a $3.5 million lawsuit with the victim.
Principal Katy Wagner has been placed on administrative leave and school board chairman Ryan Scholl is reportedly set to resign due to their roles in covering up the students’ cries for help.
Author Corey A. DeAngelis posted several videos to 𝕏 showing angry students and parents berating school officials for allowing known pedophiles to have access to underage children for years.