Lopez Island School Board responds to accusor’s allegations

To our Community,

The Lopez Island School District and School Board take very seriously allegations of sexual harassment or harassment of any nature and do not want any member of our team to come to work feeling unsafe.

The district is currently in the process of investigating serious allegations and utilizing the expertise of a third-party investigator to impartially explore facts related to the allegations presented. While the district and board are limited in the information we are able to share at this time due to the ongoing investigation, inaccuracies have been presented to the community which must be addressed.

Allegations made that the district dismissed reports of sexual harassment are not accurate. Information that was presented to the district and board was followed up on by leadership and a meeting was scheduled with the individual who brought forward concerns in an effort to learn more about the allegations.

Integrity and truth are core values the district and board hold dear and we are deeply committed to bringing answers and resolution to this very difficult situation. Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted and it is our promise that we will continue our search for facts; however, it is imperative to share that the district and board unequivocally did not ignore or dismiss allegations of sexual harassment.

We recognize that the community has questions during this trying time. We have posted a list of questions we are hearing and answers to these questions on our website, https://www.lopezislandschool.org/district_info. While we are limited in the information we can share right now, we have done our best to address some common questions. We appreciate your patience as the investigation progresses.

Sincerely, Lopez Island School Board

Chris Greacen, Del Guenther, John Helding, Carol Steckler