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Skykomish parents demand answers after teacher arrested for child rape
Parents in the Skykomish School District are demanding answers after a teacher was arrested for investigation of child rape.
SKYKOMISH, Wash. - Parents in the Skykomish School District are demanding answers after a teacher was arrested for investigation of child rape.
They attended a meeting with the school superintendent on Monday morning.
What they're saying:
Though our cameras weren't allowed inside, parents tell us tensions were high and reached a boiling point, with some people shouting and many calling for the superintendent to resign.
"You could cut the tension with a knife," said Nickalas Zylstra, a parent in the district.
Frustrated parents packed the small school building early Monday, hoping to talk to the superintendent and principal, Destry Jones.
"We need to know what the heck is happening," said Maria, the parent of a third-grader.
The Skykomish School District building in Skykomish, Washington. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Parents say they wanted to find out what leadership knew before the teacher's arrest for committing sex crimes against a child.
"It got awfully loud and tense, boisterous," said Zylstra.
The backstory:
Prosecutors say the teacher, who is in his 60's, allegedly began having an inappropriate relationship with the student while they were in the seventh grade. Court documents indicate the sexual assaults started as early as eight grade.
Investigators say many of the crimes were committed inside the school, including in the gym, closets and in the suspect's office. Court documents indicate that he admitted guilt after arrest and gave investigators a walk-through of the locations.
"Not only was there a child that was assaulted in one of the worst ways that could possibly happen, but the fact that it happened inside the school, during school hours," said Michael Bowdin, a parent. "My children had seen this individual coming out of the place, as in the report says with a blanket and a teddy bear out of the gymnasium."
Dig deeper:
Parents say they first got an email from Destry Jones on Friday, stating that a district employee was taken into custody, but because it's an ongoing personnel and criminal investigation, he was not able to share more.
Two days later, the district sent a letter saying, "The District had no advance notice that the employee was under investigation until the day of his arrest."
"We want to see Destry Jones removed from his position and completely removed," said Bowdin.
What's next:
With parents telling us only 50–60 students are enrolled in K-12, some wonder if the district will survive this.
"I don’t know if there is a solution, but I don’t think my kids are coming back though," said Zylstra.
Many plan to voice concerns at a school board meeting scheduled for Wednesday. FOX 13 reached back out to the school district for comment after Monday's meeting, and we are still waiting to hear back.
As for the teacher, he is currently being held in jail on $750,000 bail.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Skykomish School District, court documents filed in King County Superior Court, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.