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Parents, students press St. Helens board over safety policy and mandatory reporting
Summary
Dozens of residents and students urged the St. Helens School District board on Jan. 29 to strengthen suspected‑abuse policies, demanded clearer mandatory‑reporting procedures and called for resignations amid recent criminal cases involving staff. Board members said the draft policy will undergo further review; no final policy vote occurred.
St. Helens — Dozens of parents, students and community members used the board’s public‑comment periods at the Jan. 29 St. Helens School District board meeting to demand stronger protections for students, sharper mandatory‑reporting requirements and full transparency about past handling of abuse allegations.
Speakers who identified themselves as parents, survivors and students described a pattern of unreported or mishandled complaints and urged the board to revise a proposed policy that they said leaves “gray areas” for staff to avoid reporting. Abigail Wilson, who addressed the board in the meeting’s non‑agenda public‑comment slot, said the district’s draft policy “leaves room for much personal interpretation” and “opens the door for employees to abuse power.”
The meeting’s first reading of revised policy language — listed in the agenda as GBNAA/JHFF (suspected conduct with…
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