PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – New details have emerged about a former educator facing charges of sex abuse while teaching at St. Helens High School as another school district revealed he had substituted at one of their schools during the 2023-2024 academic year.
In a letter to parents Wednesday, the Scappoose School District shared that Mark Collins, 64, had worked as a substitute teacher for seven days between Oct. 30, 2023, and Feb. 9, 2024.
This week, a Scappoose High School student reported an incident from Nov. 13, 2023, in which “a few students heard what they interpreted as pornography playing on an electronic device where Mr. Collins was sitting.”
More students were interviewed to share their experiences, and the district immediately notified the St. Helens Police Department and the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC).
Collins currently faces two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of attempted second-degree sexual abuse following an investigation into allegations of misconduct at St. Helens High School. Last week, he pleaded not guilty to the charges and posted $50,000 in bail.
Court documents allege Collins abused two students and tried to inappropriately touch another between the years of 2015 and 2023. He is one of two teachers currently under investigation for incidents reported at the high school.
St. Helens police started looking into the educators back in September. Detectives said they “immediately conducted interviews and obtained a subpoena for records related to the allegations,” during which “former student victims and additional potential victims were also identified.”
However, Collins was not under investigation during his time as a St. Helens teacher and a substitute with the Scappoose School District.
According to Scappoose Superintendent Tim Porter, Collins had been contracted through Educational Staffing Services, which is a substitute provider that requires staff members to pass state background checks with FBI fingerprinting.
“We want to emphasize that none of our current staff are under investigation related to the incidents in St. Helens School District, and we have no reason to believe that any other concerning or unsafe activity took place on our campuses,” Porter said.
The full letter sent to parents is available below:
This news comes as Principal Katy Wagner of St. Helens High School undergoes a separate investigation for allegedly failing to report safety concerns about teachers at her school.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.
