Editor’s Note: This article, originally published in The Beachcomber’s May 4 print edition, now contains additional reporting on a May 3 statement by the school board and Superintendent Slade McSheehy.

At a standing-room-only school board meeting on April 27, community members and students voiced their dissatisfaction over the district’s handling of separate, now-concluded investigations of two high school teachers.

The meeting, held in the conference room at Chautauqua Elementary School, was attended in person by approximately 45 islanders, and approximately 30 more viewed the meeting as it was streamed on the district’s YouTube page here.

In addition to the islanders who spoke publicly at the meetings, others submitted letters to the board, now viewable in the public record of the meeting here.

The public comments variously noted the severity of the issues brought to light by the investigations and urged the board and administration to do more to protect students from harm.

The Vashon High School (VHS) teachers targeted for investigation, Kara Sears and John Rees, resigned last month, after signing settlement agreements that allowed them to remain on paid administrative leave until Oct. 31, and Aug. 31, respectively.

The district investigation of Sears concluded that she had violated school policy pertaining to boundary invasions in her conduct with the student at the center of the investigation, as well as other students. (See page 1.)

No report will be made available regarding the Rees investigation, according to Superintendent Slade McSheehy, because Rees resigned prior to the time the investigator had completed a written report on his findings.

Both teachers now face new probes by the state office that is charged with certifying teachers.

According to Catherine Slagle, director of the state’s Office of Professional Practices (OPP), a department of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the state investigations were launched after Vashon Superintendent Slade McSheehy sent separate letters of complaint to OSPI about Sears and Rees.

Such letters to OSPI are required by law if school superintendents believe that certified educators lack good moral character and/or personal fitness, or have engaged in unprofessional conduct.

McSheehy has declined any comment on the OSPI investigations.

Letter from 2001 student read aloud

Vivian Lyons, a community member, was among those who made comments at the board meeting, reading aloud a letter written by a 2001 graduate who charged that she was groomed by Rees, during the time she was a VHS student, for a romantic relationship that began immediately following her high school graduation.

Her complaint was jointly filed with a 2008 graduate, who alleged the same conduct by Rees toward her.

The 2001 graduate urged the board to take four immediate actions to provide more transparency and course-correct the district’s culture:

• To pass a board resolution condemning sexual relationships between educators and students for a minimum of one year after graduation.
• For the district to pay the investigator of the Rees case to either complete his report or provide partial reports for the district to make public — providing more transparency about the investigation.
• For the district to negotiate a policy prohibiting educator relationships with graduated students for up to two years after graduation, in its next collective bargaining agreement.
• For the district to conduct an independently-administered climate survey to assess the safety, health, and culture at VHS, further focused on preventing boundary invasions by school staff.

After other members of the public spoke emotionally on the topic of the investigations, the board followed its usual practice of not responding in any way to public comments — and Superintendent Slade McSheehy immediately delved into a wrap-up report on Washington’s recent legislative session.

But the subject of the investigations came up again later in the meeting, in the time slot for comments by the board’s student representatives.

“Students do not feel supported or informed”

The board’s two student representatives, in a statement read jointly, said that current students were upset and confused about the settlement agreements reached with the teachers.

The students contrasted the board’s cost-saving measures, in recent months — which they said would result in larger class sizes and eliminate certain electives in the high school — with its agreements to further extend paid administrative leave to the recently resigned teachers.

They also called out the district’s administration for poor communication with current students throughout the investigative process.

“The students have … not received any information regarding this situation sent to their emails, and have had to get information about their own teachers’ behavior through word of mouth, rumors, and now, [an April 27] Beachcomber article,” they said. “The students expect clear communication from their administration going further, and do not feel supported or informed by the school district.”

Board members promise to address issues

After the student representative’s comments, it was the turn of the board members to make individual comments, and all addressed the issues raised in public comments — though said no action was possible that evening. The board’s communication with the public, they said, had been constrained for legal reasons.

Of the five board members member, Zabette Macomber spoke most forcefully.

“There are things I would love to do, and I can’t do things as a board member,” she said. “But I think that the letter with the four ideas is a great starting place and I would love to start talking to people about what we can do … Because we can’t just keep sweeping things under the rug. That does not work.”

McSheehy did not respond to the students and other public comments at the meeting, but the following day, he sent a letter to VHS students, apologizing for not better communicating with them regarding the investigations.

“I would like to start [by] thanking two student leaders who brought to my attention the fact that I had not shared any information regarding the two VHS teachers who were placed on administrative leave earlier this year and the recent resignations by the same teachers. This was a big miss and I sincerely apologize to the VHS student body,” he wrote.

He explained that following the investigative process, it was in the district’s best interest to reach an agreement that provided certainty and also allowed the district to move forward without any disruptions.

“Sharing any further information has been difficult since the district continues to work with legal counsel in navigating an employment matter related to a tenured employee, which involves strict confidentiality pursuant to the Washington State law,” he said.

McSheehy closed his email to students with a promise.

“When information impacts students, I can and will do a better job with communication,” he wrote.

In an email to The Beachcomber, on Friday, McSheehy said that in matters regarding discipline or an adverse change to the contract status of a certificated employee, the district’s decision-making process “includes a consideration of the terms of the governing collective bargaining agreement and [applicable state statutes which] allow employees to appeal a district’s decision to take adverse action against an employee’s status, including termination.”

“If the district does not prevail in the appeal hearing, the district would be obligated to pay the employee’s costs and attorney fees and return the employee to their position,” he said.

The manner in which the resignation agreements were determined, he said, was consistent with the practices of other school districts in the state.

The school board, he also said, is “very interested in student, staff, and community engagement,” and will release a public statement regarding the district’s next steps in that regard by Friday, May 5, or sooner.

Board makes statement

In a May 3 statement, the board spoke more formally, in a statement regarding the teacher investigations and subsequent settlement agreements with the teachers.

A statement was written by Allison Krutsinger, board chair, and emailed to the Vashon school community.

The statement acknowledged members of the Vashon community and former students who came forward in the investigations and have now suggested actions for the board and district to consider.

“We both hear you and believe you,” the statement said, adding that the board does not condone actions of staff that cause any physical or emotional harm to students of the district — and that any such actions are addressed immediately.

The statement also acknowledged that the process of the month-long investigations, resulting in the resignations of two staff members, “had left more questions than answers,” but added that the board was “limited in the information we can share.”

The statement then repeated, in language that was almost verbatim to what McSheehy had told The Beachcomber in an email on Friday, April 28, about the board’s decision-making process regarding discipline or an adverse change to the contract status of a certified employee, in light of state statutes governing such changes.

“In summary, that statute allows employees to appeal a district’s decision to take adverse action against an employee’s status, including termination. If the district does not prevail in the appeal hearing, the district would be obligated to pay the employee’s costs and attorney fees and return the employee to their position. Considering the cost and time associated with an investigative process, and any outcome that may result at the conclusion of an investigative process, it is in the district’s best interest to reach agreements that provide 100% certainty that an employee does not return and which also allows the District to move forward without any disruptions,” the statement read.

The statement also said that the board gave serious consideration to a resolution, suggested at the board meeting, to “prohibit the relationship between postgraduates and current employers.”

“After speaking with legal counsel, the district determined it does not have authority to dictate terms of an employee’s behavior outside of their work hours,” the statement said. “State law also provides constitutional rights for adults to enter into relationships and the district would be at risk of lawsuits brought by organizations who protect these constitutional rights. For these reasons, we would direct this matter to be addressed with the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board, the state’s governing agency over school employee behavior.”

The statement concluded by detailing that Krutsinger and board member Zabette Macomber had met with Heidi Jackson, of Vashon’s DOVE Project, who would help guide the board and district in planning its next steps.

The two board members and Jackson “are currently in communication with student leaders, labor leaders, district staff, and impacted community members, with the goal of forming a work group,” the statement said.

The goals of the working group would be to “listen deeply to students, staff, and community; better understand where current gaps in policy and practice exist related to student safety; and make recommendations to the board before the end of this school year.”

This process, the board members said, would help the board and administration make substantive and long-lasting changes to the district’s culture and practices.

Clarification: This article was edited on May 4 to clarify that Allison Krutsinger was the author of the board statement and that she and Macomber were the board members who had met with Heidi Jackson, of Vashon’s DOVE Project.