Sexual misconduct allegations emerge against Mercer Island, WA teachers
Mercer Island High School facing multiple sex scandals
Two teachers at Mercer Island High School are accused of inappropriate relationships with students, and now a third is accused of possibly covering it up.
MERCER ISLAND, Wash. - Mercer Island High School is facing multiple sex scandals leading to anger and frustration within the district.
Two teachers are accused of inappropriate relationships with students, and now a third is accused of possibly covering up for one of the teachers.
The backstory:
In August, Mercer Island School District Superintendent Fred Rundle addressed allegations of sexual misconduct dating back about a decade.
"Mr. Twombley’s conduct with a student in 2015/2016 was appalling, beyond inappropriate and a violation of the trusting responsibility we assume as educators to safeguard our students," said Rundle during a school board meeting.
According to the district, former teacher Chris Twombley’s case was investigated by police and sent to the prosecutor’s office, but charges were not filed because it was outside the statute of limitations.
Mercer Island Schools quietly removed Twombley from the classroom in December 2023, and paid him out in a separation agreement in August 2024.
District officials said they kept their actions quiet in an effort to protect the identity of the victim, based on her own requests for anonymity.
What they're saying:
However, earlier this year, the district found out the news had leaked, and the school board publicly addressed the incident at an August school board meeting.
"We investigated to determine if there were additional students impacted or other victims we could identify. Neither the police nor our own investigation found evidence of other victims," said Rundle during the meeting.
Dig deeper:
This week, the district announced there were more issues.
In a statement, Rundle said the district learned of allegations of sexual misconduct against another former high school teacher, Curtis Johnston.
Rundle stated he filed a police report and a child protective service report against Johnston and the district has opened its own investigation into Johnston.
Rundle also announced that a current teacher is under investigation for possibly not reporting information related to Johnston’s alleged misconduct.
That teacher has been placed on forced, paid leave.
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