By RICHARD WALKER
and SOPHIE BONOMI
North Kitsap Herald
POULSBO — North Kitsap School District officials first notified parents that their children may have witnessed or been subject to sexual abuse by another student almost six months after the district was alerted by a parent.
The school district was notified “in late spring” 2015, Superintendent Patty Page said Feb. 12, that a student with special needs may have sexually abused other students with special needs on different occasions between October 2014 and May 2015 while on a bus to and from school.
All of the children, including the student in question, were 11 or younger. There were between seven and 11 students on the bus at any one time, Page said.
The alleged behavior came to light when a parent notified the school. The district notified Child Protective Services and Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated. District officials chose not to notify parents until the investigation was concluded, Page said.
Page said the district didn’t want to tell parents something might have happened if it didn’t. The bus is equipped with a video system, but Page said district officials did not review the tapes to see if there was any evidence of sexual activity — and cause for concern for parents — but instead turned them over to law enforcement.
According to law enforcement investigators’ reports, the bus is equipped with four cameras — one mounted on the front exterior of the bus, one in the back interior of the bus facing forward, one mounted at the front of the bus facing backward, and one mounted behind the driver facing the exit door on the right side of the bus.
Page said the district does not review videos “on a regular basis,” although “there are times when we do review them.”
Patricia Buchanan of the Seattle law firm Patterson Buchanan Fobes & Leitch, said Page “personally contacted each parent as soon as the students’ identities were known.”
Parents told the school board on Feb. 11 they are angered that the district didn’t notify when officials learned of the alleged behavior. A story was broadcast on Q13 Fox News that night.
The next morning, Page, Buchanan and Assistant Superintendent Chris Willits organized a 10 a.m. press conference attended by the Herald, KING-5 and Q13. They were assisted by Lee Keller of the Redmond-based public relations firm of The Keller Group, which was brought in by Buchanan.
Later, at 11:30, Page was scheduled to have a face-to-face interview with KIRO.
At the press conference, Page said:
— The district is conducting its own investigation.
— The bus driver is on paid administrative leave. The driver may have been ignorant of sexual activity on the bus because he or she was concentrating on driving, Page said.
— The student in question is no longer enrolled with the North Kitsap School District.
— The district is considering new protocols and procedures, including placing monitors on school buses, Page said.
At the press conference, Page wanted to assure parents that their children are safe, and that the district will respond to concerns that inappropriate behavior has taken place. Her advice: “Communicate with a district employee you feel comfortable with.”
Page read the following statement at the press conference:
“Late last spring, we learned of allegations involving several young students from Poulsbo Elementary who were allegedly involved in a series of inappropriate incidents on a school bus. Once we learned of the allegations, they were immediately turned over to law enforcement for investigation.
“Parents of the children confirmed to be involved were notified within days of confirmation of their identity. Along with law enforcement, I met with the parents. For privacy reasons (and federal law, FERPA), and due to the ages of the students and the nature of the misconduct, we are not releasing the names of the children or families involved.
“Parents entrust us with their children and we are extremely concerned this could have happened on one of our school bus during our watch. We take our mission very seriously of providing our students with a safe and nurturing environment in which they can learn and grow and in this instance, we clearly failed.
“Due to privacy laws, we cannot provide details of any discipline or actions the district has taken in response. However, we are currently conducting our own internal investigation and are taking all possible measures to tighten our own procedures and review the safeguards we have in place to ensure this never happens again.”
April Ferguson, a parent of one of the students on the bus, said she no longer trusts the school district. She understood that school officials couldn’t share details about what happened, “but they were obligated to tell [us] about the issue itself” after the district knew about it so parents could make decisions regarding their children’s transportation and safety.
“They had plenty of opportunities,” she said. “They knew parents were concerned but they told us nothing. It’s inexcusable.”
Ferguson said there should be a monitor on the bus. And, “I’d like to see policies enforced or revised to be more direct about communication and the actual injury or incident to the parents without sharing confidential information of the other children involved.”
She added, “We deserve a public apology. They kept this from the public … the best thing they should do is make a public apology.”
North Kitsap School District Superintendent Patty Page and attorney Patricia K. Buchanan of Patterson Buchanan Fobes & Leitch confer before the start of a press conference, Feb. 12 at the school district offices. Richard Walker / Herald
TV news cameramen prep for a press conference Feb. 12 in the North Kitsap School District offices. At right is Lee Keller of the Redmond-based public relations firm The Keller Group. Keller said she was asked by the district’s attorney to assist. Richard Walker / Herald
North Kitsap School District Superintendent Patty Page reads a statement Feb. 12 regarding the district’s delayed parental notification of alleged sexual abuse on a school bus. ‘We clearly failed,’ Page said. At left is attorney Patricia K. Buchanan of Patterson Buchanan Fobes & Leitch; at right is Assistant Superintendent Chris Willits. Richard Walker / Herald
North Kitsap School District Superintendent Patty Page answers a question at the press conference. At left is attorney Patricia K. Buchanan of Patterson Buchanan Fobes & Leitch. Sophie Bonomi / Herald
