PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Over the past few months, KATU and other media outlets have reported extensively on sex abuse cases across multiple school districts in Oregon but these events are not isolated, state reports show that substantiated abuse allegations in school districts are far from uncommon.
Quarterly reports from the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Office of Training, Investigations, and Safety (OTIS) show in 2024 alone the state investigated 260 allegations of abuse in Oregon schools and substantiated 61 of those claims. Of those investigations, 54 were into claims of sex abuse with 13 of those claims being substantiated by the agency.
In 2020, Senate Bill 155 required the agency to begin making those reports public every quarter.
“Although OTIS has investigated child abuse in schools for years, it was difficult to know what was happening,” said Sen. Gelser Blouin, who sponsored the bill. “It really was established both as a safeguard to make sure that people who were being investigated were being treated fairly and not investigated for things that are not abusive and for the public to have transparency about how its state government was working to keep kids safe.”
Recent Sex Abuse Cases Reported in the Media
The latest report was published for allegations substantiated by OTIS between April and June and would not include a slew of recent sex abuse cases reported in schools across Oregon.
Most notably the high-profile sex abuse scandal in the St Helens School District which broke on Nov. 12, has been splashed across headlines for weeks after two teachers were arrested on sex abuse charges, leading to student protests and district-wide school closures.
The student-led movement was accompanied by parental uproar, at least one administrator’s resignation, and 10 staff members now on administrative leave as the district reckons with claims that it willfully ignored abuse reports.
Though St. Helens has been perhaps the most prominent as of late, it is far from the only school district criminal sex abuse case to have become public in recent weeks. In November and December alone KATU, along with other media outlets, has reported on six newly-public sex abuse cases affecting school districts across Oregon.
On Nov. 6, coastal news outlets first reported the arrest of a 53-year-old staff member at Taft High and Elementary Schools. According to court documents, Angela Rose Schafer of Lincoln City was arrested on Nov. 5 and faces the following charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a minor.
- Rape in the third degree
- Sexual Abuse in the second degree
- Unlawful delivery of a marijuana item
- Contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor
- Furnishing alcohol to a person under 21
On Nov. 22, law enforcement in Southern Oregon reported the arrest of 38-year-old Amanda Rose Leonardo who had been employed by the Eagle Point School District. She faces charges including three counts of third-degree sexual abuse, luring a minor, tampering with physical evidence, and providing liquor to a person under 21.
On Dec. 10, Clatsop County law enforcement announced the arrest of a 13-year-old Jewell School District student accused of sexually abusing another minor.
On Dec. 16, Police in Albany announced the arrest of former Albany SD teacher, 28-year-old Duece Keey Loi Phaly, who faces 10 counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of third-degree sexual abuse.
On Dec. 19, KATU broke the news that a teacher from the Nestucca Valley SD is awaiting trial on sex abuse charges related to allegations that he groomed and then sexually abused a minor student in his classroom.
Though 46-year-old Brian Anthony Hoogendijk was arrested on May 8, the case was not made public. The Nestucca Valley School District would not say whether it had informed parents of the case. Hoogendijk was previously employed by the Multnomah Education SD and in an Elementary School in Tulsa, Okla. Hoogendijk’s next court date is Jan. 3, 2025.
KATU uncovered the previously unpublicized case while digging through the quarterly reports OTIS makes to the legislature.
“I think it’s important for people to recognize that these things happen and I think it’s important too because it lends credence to other kids that are sharing things,” Gelser Blouin said. “When we see that these things really can happen and they really do happen, and they’re more common than any of us would like to believe, I think it helps us pay closer attention to kids.”
What’s in the Reports
Along with aggregate data reports to the public OTIS also publishes more detailed quarterly reports with brief descriptions of each substantiated abuse allegation along with the name of the school where it occurred.
A look at the latest of those reports, showing abuse claims DHS substantiated between April and June of 2024, reveals there were a total of 17 substantiated claims during that time frame.
The report found the following claims founded:
- Eight claims of wrongful restraint across five school districts and one education service district.
- Two sex abuse claims in two school districts
- Three neglect claims stemming from the same incident in one school district
- One physical abuse claim
- Two corporal punishment claims in two school districts
- One threat of harm claim
KATU solicited written statements from each of the school districts in the report about the incidents and their response. Districts were given four business days to respond, some did not, their responses will be added to this article if they are received post-publishing. Some districts noted they would not be willing to outline actions taken till the Teachers Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) had concluded its investigation.
Gelser Blouin says lawmakers intentionally asked OTIS to take charge of abuse investigations in schools so that districts would not be required to wait for the TSPC investigations to conclude in order to take disciplinary or training action or provide more training for the staff member accused in the substantiated claims. TSPC investigations are severely backlogged and are time-consuming because of lengthy appeal processes which are necessary to provide multiple opportunities for staff to avoid losing their teacher’s license in some cases.
Here is a list of the substantiated abuse claims from that time along with the district’s response:
- Three allegations of Neglect were found substantiated in an incident that occurred at Central High School (Central SD) in Nov. 1, 2023, and was reported to OTIS the same day.
DHS incident description: “Three allegations of Neglect were founded on three school staff after those staff failed to follow a student’s specialized plan. The student engaged in self-harming behaviors for approximately 15 minutes, which escalated to the student using his head to break a window resulting in bruising to his head and cuts on his scalp and hands. Staff were required to intervene and failed to do so.”
SD written response: “The Office of Training, Investigations and Safety’s investigations and their finding reports are subject to several review processes, including an appeal process. This case is still in process and we are unable to comment further at this time.” - One allegation of Physical Abuse was found substantiated in an incident that occurred at Rocky Heights Elementary School (Hermiston SD) on Dec 11 2023 and was reported to OTID Dec. 14 2023.
DHS incident description:“One allegation of Physical Abuse was founded on a bus driver after that bus driver intentionally slammed the brakes of the bus twice as the students were not following direction. The bus driver’s actions caused injury to one student’s head.”
SD did not respond to request for comment. - One allegation of Sexual Abuse was substantiated by a historical incident that occurred at Lebanon High School (Lebanon Community SD) and was reported to OTIS on Jan. 4, 2024.
DHS incident description: “One allegation of Sexual Abuse was founded on a school staff after that staff began corresponding with a student over social media, sent the student multiple sexually explicit messages, photos and videos of herself, requested sexually explicit photos of the student, and had sex with the student.”
SD written response:“The district takes these matters very seriously. The individual in question was immediately placed on leave when the district learned of these allegations. She has not been an employee since March. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable to provide further comment at this time.” - One allegation of Wrongful Restraint was substantiated in an incident that occurred at Jacksonville Elementary School (Medford SD) on Jan. 30, 2024, and was reported to OTIS Feb. 2.
DHS incident description: “One allegation of Wrongful Restraint was founded on a school staff after that staff grabbed a student by the arm because the student was not listening. The student fell to the ground and the staff member held the student in a prone position while placing her hands on the student’s back.”
SD written response: “We conducted an investigation, and the employee is no longer with the district.” - One allegation of Wrongful Restraint was substantiated in an incident that occurred at Lyle Elementary School (Dallas SD) on Feb. 7, 2024, and was reported to OTIS the same day.
DHS incident description: “One allegation of Wrongful Restraint was founded on a school staff after that staff forcefully pulled a student out of an office by the arms leaving marks on the student. The student was not posing an imminent risk of harm and the staff failed to follow his training.”
SD written response: “The subject in this allegation no longer works for the district and our processes followed all of the state and local policies.”
- One allegation of Corporal Punishment was substantiated in an incident that occurred at Brush College Elementary School (Salem-Keizer SD) on Feb 12 2024 and was reported to OTIS on Feb. 13.
DHS incident description:“One allegation of Corporal Punishment was founded on a school staff after that staff became frustrated with a student and pushed the student several feet across the classroom and up against a wall with a coat hook protruding out of it causing pain to the student.”SD written response:“We are deeply committed to student safety and well-being and to that end we take all reports seriously. This specific incident was investigated and appropriate action was taken. If it is helpful, this was an incident involving a substitute employee. As soon as school leaders heard a concern, they immediately investigated, made a mid-day staffing change for the impacted classroom, and communicated that with families.” - Two allegations of Wrongful Restraint were substantiated in an incident that occurred at Ft Vannoy Elementary School (Three River SD) on Feb 7 2024 and was reported to OTIS the same day.
DHS incident description:“Two allegations of Wrongful Restraint were founded on two school staff after those staff restrained a student in the parking lot of the school in a supine position.”
SD did not respond to request for comment - Two allegations of Wrongful Restraint were substantiated in an incident that occurred at South Medford High School (Medford SD) on Jan 3 2024 and was reported to OTIS Feb. 22.
DHS incident description:“Two allegations of Wrongful Restraint were founded on two school staff after those staff applied a physical restraint on a student when it was not warranted. The staff then held the student in a both a prone and supine position for several minutes.”
SD written response: “It was believed at that time the student possessed a weapon and that’s why the staff member conducted the restraint. Following our own investigation, we did not pursue disciplinary action in this case but did implement additional training for that staff member, which they have since completed. We are waiting for TSPC to conclude their investigation to see if any additional follow-up would be warranted.” - One allegation of Wrongful Restraint was substantiated in an incident that occurred at Edward Byrom Elementary School (Tigard-Tualatin SD) on Feb. 21, 2023, and was reported to OTIS on Feb. 28.
DHS incident description: “One allegation of Wrongful Restraint was founded against the public education program after several untrained staff placed a student in a prohibited restraint.”
SD Written Response:“While this finding is under appeal, our site staff has met since to review policy and procedures for student restraint. The Tigard-Tualatin School District holds student safety as our highest priority.”
- One allegation of Wrongful Restraint was substantiated in an incident that occurred at Beaverton Early Childhood Center (NWESD) on Feb. 27, 2023, and was reported to OTIS on Feb 29.
DHS incident description:“One allegation of Wrongful Restraint was founded on a school staff after that staff dragged a student face down on the ground by the arm and leg and then held the student on the ground.”
NWRESD written response: “We take reports of alleged child abuse very seriously. Each year, we train all employees and board members on mandatory reporting requirements. In this instance, a member of our early learning team promptly reported the incident to DHS and our human resources department, in alignment with our policy and training procedures. We immediately placed the staff member involved on administrative leave. Substantiated cases of abuse will result in serious personnel action and in this case, this person is no longer employed with us.”
- One allegation of Corporal Punishment and one of Threat of harm were substantiated for an incident that occurred at Scenic Middle School (Central Point SD) on Mar. 4, 2024, and was reported to OTIS on March 5.
DHS incident description: “One allegation of Corporal Punishment and one allegation of Threat of Harm were founded on two school staff while transporting special education students on a bus. One of the staff taunted the student and made demeaning statements about the student to the other students on the bus. This escalated the student who then tried to break a window. This led to a second staff becoming involved, who slapped the student twice in the face causing the student pain.”SD written response: “In regards to the DHS report involving one of our students, the District is committed to the safety and learning of all students. Creating and maintaining positive, safe, and supportive learning environments is the District’s top priority. Any concerns that affect the well-being of students are taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and responded to appropriately. Corrective action is taken when warranted, but the District cannot comment on or share confidential employee or student information.”
- One allegation of Sexual Abuse was substantiated for incidents that occurred over an undetermined period of time at a school within the Nestucca Valley SD.
Note: Because this case involved an alleged victim who is still a minor in a small school district and the name of the teacher accused has been publicized we are not publishing DHS’ graphic description of the abuse to protect the alleged victim. The teacher in this case was arrested in May of 2024 and is set for hearing Jan. 3.SD written response: “The Nestucca School District is aware of DHS’s recent finding of sexual abuse against a teacher at a Nestucca School. The District has taken all appropriate steps in line with Board Policy to respond to this allegation, including alerting local law enforcement. The District can confirm that at this time the accused teacher is on administrative leave and does not have access to any students. The District is working closely with local law enforcement on the matter.”