PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — A Steilacoom High School teacher accused of sexually harassing a former student has been placed on administrative leave, the district announced Wednesday.
Eric Garrett’s leave was announced the same day hundreds of students staged a walkout to express concern over the math teacher’s alleged behavior.
Gwen Miller, district spokeswoman, said a lawsuit alleging the teacher inappropriately touched a former student prompted Garrett being placed on leave but did not immediately respond to questions about when he was placed on leave or how long the leave will last.
“Law enforcement was notified of the allegations in the lawsuit,” according to a statement from the school district. “The District recognizes that the allegations in the lawsuit regard sensitive subjects and we are taking them very seriously. The teacher in question is not at the school and is out on administrative leave.”
District officials also did not respond to questions Wednesday about when law enforcement was notified of the allegations that Garrett slid his hand beneath a student’s skirt during the 2018-2019 school year, squeezed her thigh and told her, “Good job.”
The former student, now 19, filed a lawsuit against Garrett and the school district in July. The suit argues that the school district should have reported the alleged sexual harassment to law enforcement because it is a mandatory reporter.
Instead, the school district conducted an internal investigation and found that Garrett likely placed his hands on the girl’s thigh. The district said it did not tell law enforcement about Garrett’s conduct because the touch was “in a non-sexual fashion,” according to court documents filed by the district last week.
It’s unclear why the district did not initially report the complaint against Garrett to law enforcement but did so after the lawsuit was filed.
The News Tribune has requested records to determine whether other complaints have been filed against Garrett since he started teaching in Steilacoom in 1997.
At the walkout Wednesday morning, students spoke out about their interactions with Garrett and their frustrations with how the school has handled complaints.
Dana Lang, a 17-year-old senior, said she witnessed the teacher rubbing female students’ shoulders and it is common knowledge on campus that many girls are uncomfortable with his behavior.
“No matter how you look at it, Mr. Garrett should not be around children. He has done extremely inappropriate things to underage girls,” Lang said. “There is no way that touching a child’s bare thigh is appropriate, under no circumstance. There is no excuse for that behavior.”
District officials said students can report inappropriate or concerning behavior https://steilacoom-wa.safeschoolsalert.com.
A student awareness group is circulating a petition asking for Garrett to be fired and encouraging students to share their experiences with Garrett.
“Students should always feel safe going to school; they should never feel uncomfortable, violated or threatened...” the group wrote on its website. “The school has refused to take the situation seriously or even acknowledge it fully, often dismissing the actions of this staff member. Past or present, an individual who has left their students feeling violated should have no right working in a position with them.”
This story was originally published by The News Tribune.