A Clackamas County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle.
SoulRider.222 / Flickr (Creative Commons license)
A Lakeridge High School counselor is the subject of investigations by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.
Until recently, Christopher Keller was listed as one of four counselors at Lakeridge High School. Now, an assistant principal is listed as working with the students previously assigned to Keller.
The Oregonian first reported the investigations involving Keller.
Portland criminal defense attorney Mark Cogan is representing Keller.
In a statement to OPB, Cogan asked the public “not to rush to judgment until all facts are known.”
“Our client has not been formally charged with anything,” Cogan wrote. “We have not seen any evidence of wrongdoing. Mr Keller is presumed innocent.”
Responding to an OPB records request, the Lake Oswego Police Department shared an incident report filed in November at Lakeridge High School, noting “info - poss child abuse” as the offense. Nearly everything else in the document is redacted, with the police department citing privacy laws.
The Lake Oswego School District is reviewing OPB’s request for public records regarding incidents involving Lakeridge staff.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office declined to give any details other than confirming Keller is the subject of an investigation, citing protection of the “integrity of the investigation”.
If misconduct involving children was involved, the Oregon Department of Human Services would be the state agency to investigate the complaints.
In an email responding to OPB’s questions about Lakeridge High School staff, ODHS Press Secretary Jake Sunderland said that the agency “has received no allegations of child abuse that met the criteria for investigation.”
Sunderland’s message noted that ODHS doesn’t have jurisdiction over “allegations of educator misconduct involving students who are legal adults aged 18 or older.”
As OPB previously reported, rumors have been circulating following the announced departure of Lakeridge principal Desiree Fisher.
According to the district, Fisher will retire at the end of this month.
In a message to staff, students and families earlier this month, Superintendent Jennifer Schiele referenced safety and said she was unable to share additional details about the changes in school personnel.
“Please know that the safety of our students, our commitment to board policy, and our obligation to follow state law are always our highest priorities,” Schiele wrote.
“All reported concerns have been taken seriously, thoroughly investigated by our district and law enforcement, and addressed promptly and appropriately.”
There is an investigation with the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission involving Fisher, according to a message the agency sent OPB last week.
OPB editor Rob Manning contributed to this story.
