Restoring Trust: An Urgent Case for ESD to Put the Safety of Students and Families First
The Issue
From recent media reports and school board meeting comments, parents of Edmonds School District (ESD) have learned the following:
From 2022 through 2024, multiple staff members and parents at Meadowdale Elementary School (MDE) reported instances of alleged sexual misconduct by a male Special Education Learning Support Teacher. The alleged abuse was directed at both staff and special education students.
These concerns were first brought to the attention of the Administration in late 2022, but no actions were taken at that time. Reports to the Administration of concerning behavior continued. Almost a year later in December 2023, the district finally started investigating after a female staff member reported inappropriate staff to staff misconduct. During the course of that investigation, multiple staff were interviewed and brought up their concerns regarding the male teacher’s conduct towards students. No children were interviewed during this investigation. The ultimate result was a verbal admonishment and a letter of directives to the teacher which detailed specific boundaries this teacher should not cross with adults or children. This letter was placed in his working disciplinary file.
Despite the very specific directives, the behavior continued and escalated. It took another 8 months before the teacher was finally placed on administrative leave for the 2024-2025 school year (almost 2 years after the first concerns were raised). During that time, in May 2024, a staff member (not in administration) reported the behavior to law enforcement and an extensive criminal investigation began (Lynnwood PD Case # 2024-00014684). While the criminal case was still pending, district administrators prepared to assign him to Meadowdale High School as a special education teacher for the 2025-2026 school year. That would have put him in a position to access and re-traumatize the same students he allegedly abused in elementary school.
When an MDE student came forward with rape allegations in August 2025, the teacher was placed on paid administrative leave for a 2nd year (2025-2026 school year).
Throughout all this, the teacher remained on full pay. As of August 2026, he exits his position with no documented disciplinary action and a severance package that includes six months of additional pay plus medical benefits. Meanwhile, the students and staff affected are left to grapple with the enormous emotional trauma of these events and profound lack of justice.
Additionally,
The District administration did not notify parents of the children affected, even though it is required by Washington law RCW 28A.320.160 and RCW 28A.400.317.
The District administrators did not report the alleged sexual misconduct to law enforcement and CPS within the timeframe required by RCW 28A.400.317 & RCW 26.44.030. District administrative staff should have reported within 48 hours after the first concern and there is no evidence of this.
Additionally, a parent of a victim wrote a plea to Dr. Miner via e-mail in 2024 to get help and accountability after well over a year of insufficient action by the district. This e-mail included additional detailed abuse allegations including that this teacher leaned on the victim, rubbed her back, and that once it felt like his penis was pressing on her. Despite this additional disclosure to Dr. Miner via e-mail, there is no record that Dr. MIner reported this information to law enforcement and CPS as required by law.
We the undersigned, seek a future where all students and staff are free from sexual abuse on campus. The trustworthiness of the administration of the Edmonds School District has been eroded. To prove to the community and current staff that the administration is trustworthy in the dealings with the children in their care, we demand that the School Board take the following actions:
Place Rebecca Miner on leave and hire an interim school superintendent who has a track record of successfully implementing changes including the culture of an organization. Due to the multiple and systemic failures that occurred under Dr. Miner's watch, we are doubtful that she would facilitate a proper investigation and implement any recommended changes and foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and responsibility.
Commission an independent third-party investigation by a firm with demonstrated expertise investigating workplace misconduct at public schools and child sexual abuse. To ensure impartiality, the firm must have no affiliation with the ESD, the School Board, district staff, nor be suggested by the ESD’s insurance provider or attorneys.
The investigative report should identify any failures in sexual misconduct notification and investigation protocols, the individuals responsible, and any systematic issues that could impede future investigations and accountability. The report should include recommendations for disciplinary actions against administration officials who failed to follow procedures. The firm or agency must also make actionable recommendations for improvements to ensure that future reports from staff and students are investigated promptly, thoroughly and with the seriousness they deserve.
Release the report to the public and issue a public report every six months on progress where the district describes, in detail, what they are doing to implement each recommendation.
Please sign this petition to demand accountability and change in order to keep our children safe.
Related reading:
-Edmonds Voices for Justice
A community and solution driven forum for transparency and accountability
143
The Issue
From recent media reports and school board meeting comments, parents of Edmonds School District (ESD) have learned the following:
From 2022 through 2024, multiple staff members and parents at Meadowdale Elementary School (MDE) reported instances of alleged sexual misconduct by a male Special Education Learning Support Teacher. The alleged abuse was directed at both staff and special education students.
These concerns were first brought to the attention of the Administration in late 2022, but no actions were taken at that time. Reports to the Administration of concerning behavior continued. Almost a year later in December 2023, the district finally started investigating after a female staff member reported inappropriate staff to staff misconduct. During the course of that investigation, multiple staff were interviewed and brought up their concerns regarding the male teacher’s conduct towards students. No children were interviewed during this investigation. The ultimate result was a verbal admonishment and a letter of directives to the teacher which detailed specific boundaries this teacher should not cross with adults or children. This letter was placed in his working disciplinary file.
Despite the very specific directives, the behavior continued and escalated. It took another 8 months before the teacher was finally placed on administrative leave for the 2024-2025 school year (almost 2 years after the first concerns were raised). During that time, in May 2024, a staff member (not in administration) reported the behavior to law enforcement and an extensive criminal investigation began (Lynnwood PD Case # 2024-00014684). While the criminal case was still pending, district administrators prepared to assign him to Meadowdale High School as a special education teacher for the 2025-2026 school year. That would have put him in a position to access and re-traumatize the same students he allegedly abused in elementary school.
When an MDE student came forward with rape allegations in August 2025, the teacher was placed on paid administrative leave for a 2nd year (2025-2026 school year).
Throughout all this, the teacher remained on full pay. As of August 2026, he exits his position with no documented disciplinary action and a severance package that includes six months of additional pay plus medical benefits. Meanwhile, the students and staff affected are left to grapple with the enormous emotional trauma of these events and profound lack of justice.
Additionally,
The District administration did not notify parents of the children affected, even though it is required by Washington law RCW 28A.320.160 and RCW 28A.400.317.
The District administrators did not report the alleged sexual misconduct to law enforcement and CPS within the timeframe required by RCW 28A.400.317 & RCW 26.44.030. District administrative staff should have reported within 48 hours after the first concern and there is no evidence of this.
Additionally, a parent of a victim wrote a plea to Dr. Miner via e-mail in 2024 to get help and accountability after well over a year of insufficient action by the district. This e-mail included additional detailed abuse allegations including that this teacher leaned on the victim, rubbed her back, and that once it felt like his penis was pressing on her. Despite this additional disclosure to Dr. Miner via e-mail, there is no record that Dr. MIner reported this information to law enforcement and CPS as required by law.
We the undersigned, seek a future where all students and staff are free from sexual abuse on campus. The trustworthiness of the administration of the Edmonds School District has been eroded. To prove to the community and current staff that the administration is trustworthy in the dealings with the children in their care, we demand that the School Board take the following actions:
Place Rebecca Miner on leave and hire an interim school superintendent who has a track record of successfully implementing changes including the culture of an organization. Due to the multiple and systemic failures that occurred under Dr. Miner's watch, we are doubtful that she would facilitate a proper investigation and implement any recommended changes and foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and responsibility.
Commission an independent third-party investigation by a firm with demonstrated expertise investigating workplace misconduct at public schools and child sexual abuse. To ensure impartiality, the firm must have no affiliation with the ESD, the School Board, district staff, nor be suggested by the ESD’s insurance provider or attorneys.
The investigative report should identify any failures in sexual misconduct notification and investigation protocols, the individuals responsible, and any systematic issues that could impede future investigations and accountability. The report should include recommendations for disciplinary actions against administration officials who failed to follow procedures. The firm or agency must also make actionable recommendations for improvements to ensure that future reports from staff and students are investigated promptly, thoroughly and with the seriousness they deserve.
Release the report to the public and issue a public report every six months on progress where the district describes, in detail, what they are doing to implement each recommendation.
Please sign this petition to demand accountability and change in order to keep our children safe.
Related reading:
-Edmonds Voices for Justice
A community and solution driven forum for transparency and accountability
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Petition created on August 13, 2026