WALLA WALLA, Wash.-Walla Walla Public Schools (WWPS) issued a statement on Thursday, August 24 in response to allegations made at a recent school board meeting concerning a possible grooming incident involving a staff member and student.
Former school district employee Cathy Rasely and Sarah Herera, a parent of a student within Walla Walla Public Schools, both spoke at the meeting.
“I am here today because of a disturbing situation that was brought to my attention toward the end of may of this year involving a school district employee and an under aged grade school student,” Rasely said at the meeting.
After hearing about the incident she got enough information to request a police report in May of 2023.
She said after two months she received the 62-page report detailing interviews conducted investigating the alleged stalking and potential grooming of a student in the district.
She said she noticed a number of things that seemed inappropriate throughout the report, but one incident with a note stood out to her.
“[The school district employee] walked into her classroom handed her a note and walked out and then the mom found out and got the note from the daughter and the daughter said mom you can’t read it because it’s written in invisible ink,” Rasely said.
During the meeting the two asked the board to look into why it took so long for the district to look into the matter.The police report details incidents happening over the course of about two years and complaints brought to the district even after the staff member in question was moved to a different school.
“You can’t tell me in that situation that every procedure and protocol was followed correctly. If so then we have an even bigger problem, parent Herrera said.
According to the WWPS the individuals who spoke during the public comment portion of the August 15 school board meeting were not doing so on behalf of the parents or family involved and the district has investigated the alleged incident.
Rasely said while she hasn’t met the mother referenced in the incident, she did exchange messages with her before speaking at the school board meeting. The mother did not ask her not to talk about it at the meeting but did ask to remain anonymous.
Walla Walla Public Schools statement on grooming allegations involving a staff member and student:
At the August school board meeting, two individuals spoke during the public comment period about the actions of a former district employee, referencing a WWPD police report.
Following public comment, and consistent with board policy, the board requested the superintendent to investigate the matter and report back regarding the actions taken by school and human resources staff. That investigation is now complete. It provides further context for the situation that was outside the scope of the police report.
The district’s primary concern is the safety of the children within our care. That concern extends to the elementary student and family involved here, who did not ask to be dragged into the public sphere. The parent involved has confirmed to the district that the individuals making this matter public were not acting on their request.
For these reasons, the district will not share more information about the situation, even though that information provides added context and facts that address the timeline of events and actions taken by school administration and human resources staff, consistent with adopted policies and procedures.
We can confirm that the district’s investigation at the time focused on Policy and Procedure 5253 – Maintaining Professional Staff/Student Boundaries. We can also share that the classified staff member whose conduct was at issue has not been employed by the district since soon after completion of the investigation last school year.
Student safety is and always remains our top priority. The board has asked district officials to thoroughly review current practice, affirm adopted policies and procedures align with model policies published by the Washington State School Directors Association, and suggest potential modifications if these processes can be improved in any way.
The public comment made at the school board meeting starts at 30:25 and ends at 36:39.
