Two alleged pedophile teachers were arrested last week on charges that they sexually abused at least nine underage girls, according to a report from the New York Post.
It’s been alleged through reporting that administrators in the Oregon school district knew about the allegations for years and opted to cover it up. In one instance, the district allowed a teacher to stay in the classroom until the day he was arrested, despite credible accusations and an ongoing police investigation.
St. Helens High School choir teacher Eric Stearns, 46, and retired teacher Mark Collins, 64, were arrested and accused of a nearly 10-year sex crime spree against teens. Stearns faces charges of sexual abuse against six underage girls between 2015 and 2024. Collins is accused of abusing three students between 2017 and 2023.
Officials in the school district received complaints of abuse as early as 2019. It’s been alleged that the district ignored the red flags and failed to contact law enforcement.
If convicted, the duo wouldn’t be the first pedophiles outed at St. Helens High School.
Teacher Kyle Wroblewski pleaded guilty in 2019 to five counts of sexual abuse. The school district settled a lawsuit with the victim for $3.5 million.
Parents and students are outraged over the alleged cover-up. One parent accused the school administrators of helping to “groom” victims by failing to report the abuse. Students came forward at a school board meeting to share horrific encounters between minors and district officials who brushed years of inappropriate behavior under the rug.
“You are part of the grooming process,” one parent reportedly said at the school board meeting.
“Why haven’t you done anything?” One student asked. “We don’t want to be around pedophiles.”
Another student alleged that when she was 14 years old, Stearns would hug her, kiss her on the head, and say he loved her during lunch breaks. When her mother complained, the school allegedly refused to intervene.
