Focus on Student Safety

Longview Public Schools has reporting systems in place that students or families can access at any time. 

• Have a Concern? Reporting System: At the start of the school year, the district launched a “Have a Concern?” awareness effort. “Have a Concern?” provides students and staff with phone and email contacts for reporting concerns by calling 360-575-7019 or emailing supt@longviewschools.org.  
• Statewide HearMeWA Reporting System: HearMeWA is a youth-centered crisis-response program that meets youth safety and well-being needs by linking them to existing support systems. Students can contact HearMeWa by calling 888-537-1634. This program is available statewide and provides support to youth 24/7/365. It offers an app, text, chat, website, and phone line, and serves youth up to the age of 25. 
   

It is important to reiterate that the District has specific policies and procedures in place prohibiting sexual harassment—as well as harassment, intimidation, or bullying of students more generally—in its schools. 

The District has appointed a Title IX Coordinator to receive complaints of sexual harassment. The District provides annual notice to students and families of this information and the identity of the Title IX Coordinator in various ways. 

This includes notification in school handbooks, course catalogs, and on various printed materials distributed in schools and to parents. Also, the notification is published in quarterly printed publications. Additionally, a web link is displayed at the top of every district and school web page to “Report a concern”. For consistency, the same “Report a concern” information is on posters in school hallways and common areas for students to reference.

• Policy and Procedure 3205 provides that the District “is committed to a positive and productive education free from discrimination, including sexual harassment. This commitment extends to all students involved in academic, educational, extracurricular, athletic, and other programs or activities of the school.” Procedure 3205 provides a clear process for students, parents, or others to submit complaints of sexual harassment. The procedure requires a detailed process for responding to complaints once received to ensure appropriate follow-up occurs. 
• Policy and Procedure 3207 provides a similar complaint and investigation process for issues regarding harassment, intimidation, or bullying that are not based on alleged sexual harassment. 

Good evening. The update I can share tonight is in regard to our third-party investigator, Kathleen Haggard with Haggard & Ganson LLP. She is currently collecting documents and other information to inform her review of the district’s policies, procedures and practices related to supervision of student-athletes, staff training, and the reporting of alleged sexual harassment or other misconduct. Her next steps will include scheduling interviews as she continues gathering facts.

I remain deeply committed to a thorough and careful review of what happened and what must change to better protect students. Investigations like this must be completed with care and we need to allow the professional investigators to do their jobs fully. That includes both law enforcement and the independent investigator engaged by the district.

As I have said before, there are limits to what I can share publicly. This matter involves students, and is the subject of an active law enforcement investigation. The district is required to protect student privacy and I understand that can be hard to accept when people want answers now, but doing this correctly is essential. 

Thank you for your patience as these investigations move forward.

Good evening. Tonight, I want to share progress on one of the key steps we committed to as we respond to the serious allegations involving students at Mark Morris High School, specifically the independent review of our practices.

I want to begin my comments by centering on students. Our students are at the center of everything we do as a school system, and they remain at the heart of our work now. Our community expects, and our students deserve, schools and activities where our young people are safe, respected and supported. We are treating that responsibility with the care and seriousness it requires.

To that end, I want to share an update. Longview Public Schools has engaged attorney Kathleen Haggard of Haggard & Ganson LLP as the third-party investigator to review the district’s policies, procedures and practices as they pertain to the supervision of student-athletes, staff training, and the reporting of alleged sexual harassment or other misconduct.

Ms. Haggard has conducted hundreds of investigations for public employers. Her experience includes investigations involving improper governmental action, whistleblower retaliation, municipal codes of ethics, internal affairs, financial fraud, misconduct by elected officials, and sex discrimination. She brings deep knowledge of public agency law, and her role in this work is to conduct objective, neutral fact-finding and provide recommendations to help strengthen our practices.

At the same time, the district is also conducting an internal investigation to better understand employee actions and their alignment with district policies and procedures. This process will take time to play out, but we are committed to doing it in a professional and thorough manner.

When allegations are this serious, there is a natural desire for immediate answers and immediate accountability. At the same time, lasting accountability must be grounded in verified facts and a fair, thorough process. With all of that in mind,

• We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement’s investigation
• We will support the investigative process of the third-party investigator, and
• We will continue to conduct our own, district internal review.

These processes are designed to establish a clear understanding of what happened, when information was known, and whether policies and expectations were followed. Once the facts are established, we will be in the strongest position to take appropriate action and make decisions that strengthen student safety. Until then, we ask for your patience so we can be sure we get this right.

While investigations move forward, support for students remains essential. The School Mobilization Assistance Response Team, SMART, helped ensure initial access to counseling and other resources. Those support options remain available to both students and staff through our district counseling support. We also continue to ensure that reporting pathways are known and easy to access for students and families. We’ve set up a page on our website longviewschools.com/studentsafety, where local and state reporting systems are easily accessible in one spot. 

I want to close by acknowledging the real impact this has had on families and our community. I understand that words are not enough. The path forward is consistent action, accountability grounded in facts, and a sustained focus on student safety and support. That is the work we are committed to, and we will keep showing up to do it.

Superintendent Message at the 2/23/2026 Board Meeting

Good evening. I want to use my Superintendent update tonight to acknowledge the very serious concerns of many families and community members regarding the allegations involving students at Mark Morris High School.

I want to start by saying: I hear you and take your concerns extremely seriously. When families are worried about their children’s safety, nothing else feels more important. I am a parent, too, and I understand why people are demanding answers.

At Longview Public Schools, our first and most important responsibility is the safety and well-being of our students. The allegations in this matter are deeply troubling and go against everything our district stands for. As difficult as it may be, it is critical that we allow our legal system to investigate and address these allegations. 

I also want to acknowledge something else I have heard. Some families feel the district did not communicate enough, or quickly enough. I understand that frustration. I take that feedback to heart, and I am committed to improving how we communicate during difficult moments while protecting student privacy and following the law.   

I understand the desire to know more details about this situation. At the same time, school districts are legally required to protect the privacy of all students. This matter is also the subject of an ongoing law enforcement investigation. For those reasons, I am very limited in what I can share, even when I know that it is frustrating for our community. 

Here’s what I can share about our actions and commitments.

• We remain committed to cooperating with the ongoing law enforcement investigation. 
• I have engaged a third-party investigator to review athletics-related supervision and safety practices, including reporting processes and expectations for adult supervision.
• Once the law enforcement investigation is complete, and so those findings may inform our next steps, the district will engage a separate outside investigator to review district practices. Engaging an outside investigator reflects our commitment to accountability and to examining our practices carefully and thoroughly. 

I also know families want to understand what we are doing now to strengthen student safety and rebuild trust.

• We are ensuring students have access to counseling and support services. Students need to know they will be heard, taken seriously, and supported by a trusted adult.
• We are supporting greater communication between school buildings, building leadership and the district office to ensure clear reporting pathways should a disciplinary concern arise. 
• To support transparency with our community, we are establishing a web page at longviewschools.com/studentsafety. On this web page we will post district communication related to this issue, information on how students and families can quickly and easily report concerns and links to associated school policies and procedures.  

I know some families have said this situation has damaged their trust in the district. That is deeply concerning to me. Trust is earned through consistent actions, not just words. Rebuilding trust will take time, and it will require follow-through. I am committed to doing that work in partnership with our community.

I want to thank everyone who came here tonight. You are here because you love our kids and want the best for our schools. We are aligned in these priorities. The board and I are here to continue listening, and we genuinely value the feedback and perspectives you are willing to share with us.

As we move forward, I remain committed to protecting the safety of our students, gathering facts, and creating a learning environment where our students can thrive. 

Thank you for your patience as we work toward these goals.

Dr. Karen L. Cloninger, Superintendent
Longview Public Schools
 

Dear Parents and Families,

Today, Thursday, February 19, the Longview Police Department announced the arrest of two students on charges related to the ongoing investigation into alleged student misconduct at Mark Morris High School.

The allegations are deeply troubling and inconsistent with what our school district stands for.

We recognize that this news may be unsettling. To support our students, we have initiated the School Mobilization Assistance Response Team (SMART) to provide additional counselors and supportive adults on campus. They will be available at the Mark Morris High School starting at the beginning of the school day. Students may ask any staff member for help connecting with support.

We remain committed to cooperating with the law enforcement investigation. Once the law enforcement investigation is complete, and so the findings can inform our next steps, the district will engage an independent third-party investigator to review district practices related to our athletics program, including student supervision and staff training. This step reflects our commitment to accountability and to examining our practices carefully and thoroughly.

Because this is an active investigation, and to protect student privacy, we are very limited in the information we can share. Please know that our first priority is always the safety and well-being of all students. 

Thank you for your patience. We will share additional information as we are able. 

Respectfully,

Karen L. Cloninger, Superintendent

Longview Public Schools