In response to the recent sexual misconduct allegations against former MIHS teacher Curtis Johnston, the MIHS Islander staff is disheartened at the apparent ignorance that existed while Johnston was employed at this school. The news that came to light on Oct. 23 is awful and concerning, and we recognize that this is a difficult situation for both district leaders and students of Mercer Island. To prevent it from recurring, we ask for more proactive measures.
During Johnston’s time teaching at MIHS, multiple reports have been made regarding his conduct. Principal Nick Wold and Superintendent Fred Rundle have both stated that they have received reports specifically about Johnston’s college counseling business. Teachers Kati McConn and Susan Rindlaub – among other teachers – have said that, to their knowledge, there were reports about other concerns.
From what they know, these reports mainly focused on Johnston’s alleged unprofessional behavior in the classroom, hostility toward co-workers, non-educational curriculum and outdated comments. Another teacher, Kelsey Cochran, mentioned that the volume of reports she was aware of should have warranted a more robust response, with which we agree.
While none were related to sexual misconduct, we believe the administration should have followed up in a more visible manner. The lack of follow-through at this school is a practice that cannot continue in the future. We agree with many teachers in our disappointment at the apparent lack of clear and conspicuous action taken. The school policies do not warrant escalated action when issues are unrelated, so because many of the reports against Johnston were not technically repeated offenses, the administrators were not able to take further action than dealing with each concern individually at the lowest tier of administrative intervention.
When asked for a response, Rundle did not have previous knowledge of these reports, saying that he had only now heard of them. Wold acknowledged that concerns other than Johnston’s college counseling business had been brought up and that he did try to take the next steps with them, but he did not specify any number or type of report.
As MIHS students, we find it challenging to trust the school’s enforcement of student-teacher boundaries after the disclosure of Johnston’s alleged actions. Fostering close relationships between teachers and students is an integral part of the learning experience, but it does not allow for progressive boundary pushing. This isn’t to say that close relationships are inherently negative; many students have enjoyed connecting with their teachers. However, there needs to be clearer boundaries in the classroom to minimize the grey areas. This means that we must be proactively taught about grooming behavior and the appropriate boundaries of teacher-student relationships.
We commend the current school district for demonstrating a strong commitment to hearing our concerns and initiating conversations to ensure we feel safe. These actions aligned with The MIHS Islander’s requests earlier this year: to be more transparent with students. Wold spent an entire day in an office to allow students to share their opinions, stories and concerns. This transparent approach is a first step toward rebuilding the trust and confidence between staff and students. We want to feel proud of our school and comfortable with our teachers in a professional and safe environment.
As of now, this is not the case. That said, this stain on the school district does not define us; rather, it is a disturbing situation that we hope leads to an improvement in the quality of our communication and collaboration. We need more clarity, follow through and proactive measures around boundaries in the classroom to rebuild the integrity of a school we should be proud of.
