The district said the school, which serves 52 students, will remain closed until Monday, March 16.
SKYKOMISH, Wash. — The Skykomish K-12 School will remain closed until Monday, March 16, after a physical education teacher was arrested for allegedly raping a student over the course of two years, according to the district and law enforcement.
The Skykomish School District sent a letter to families on March 10, apologizing to parents for a lack of information provided at the time of the employee’s arrest. Skykomish K-12 is the only school in the district and serves approximately 52 students.
“We know there is hurt and anger and we want every parent and student to know that we are committed to immediate steps to ensure all students are safe and protected, now and for the future,” the district said in the letter to families. “We are members of this community and parents as well, and we too are horrified and shocked at the recent events.”
A 63-year-old man was arrested on March 6 at the school. KING 5 does not name suspects until they are charged in court.
The suspect served as a PE teacher, the school’s athletic director and the Title IX coordinator, according to the district. He also worked as a PE teacher in the Snoqualmie School District from 2002 through 2011, according to the Snoqualmie Valley School District.
According to probable cause documents, the suspect was booked into King County Jail for the investigation of rape of a child, communication with a minor for immoral purposes and possession of depictions of minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The district said school will remain closed until Monday, March 16 to allow for families “to process the events of the last several days.”
In addition, staff will be reaching out to each family to listen to concerns and share the latest updates.
When school reopens, a King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) deputy will be on site and the school is conducting an independent third-party investigation into the alleged incidents.
KCSO detectives are investigating the case. According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation began last week and involves one adult male employee and one juvenile student.
On Friday, detectives from the agency’s Special Assault Unit arrested the suspect while he was at the school.
The suspect made his first court appearance on March 7 and is being held on $750,000 bail.
Investigators say the case remains active as detectives continue gathering evidence. Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be submitted to the King County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
According to the documents, the victim reported having a sexual relationship with the suspect for the past two years, and that it began when they transferred to the school after their friend died by suicide. The victim said they had “quickly bonded” with the suspect and that he reportedly gave them preferential treatment, multiple gifts and alcohol.
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