SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 39, NO. 7
SECTION A
NOVEMBER 17, 2017
$1.00
Theater design unveiled, approved
Submitted
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The owner of a planned cinema still
hasn’t signed a lease to locate on a city-
owned portion of land in Keizer Station,
but all the evidence points to it becoming
a reality.
At a meeting of the Keizer Planning
Commission Wednesday, Nov. 8, the plan-
ning commission approved a design vari-
ance that will allow the theater building to
have fewer windows and compensate for
the lack with additional landscaping.
“The requirement is 50 percent glaz-
ing/windows on the ground fl oor accord-
ing to the master plan for Keizer Station
but, since it is a theater, that many windows
The concept design for a nine-screen theater in Keizer Station was approved last week by the Planning Commisssion.
Please see THEATER, Page A7
SKSD MANDATORY REPORTING
Board voted for judicial review,
no mention of new policies
lieved the Fair Dismissals Appeals Board (DFAB)
By ERIC A. HOWALD
made the wrong decision to reinstate the coun-
Of the Keizertimes
A decision by the Oregon Court of Appeals selor involved in the inciting incident, but “I
regarding the dismissal of an employee for fail- think that it’s in the interest of children and pro-
ure to report a potential case of sexual abuse (see tecting children and it’s incredibly important that
related story, Page A2), threw a wrench into the we bring this forward.”
Board Member Jesse Lippold contended that
way the Salem-Keizer School District had been
interpreting its mandatory reporting guidelines. such an action would reinforce the need to re-
While the court sided with the counselor port and it would take pressure off teachers be-
who chose not to report a somewhat vaguely- cause they wouldn’t have to make extra judge-
ment calls or perform
described
incident of
investigations.
abuse, it additionally deter-
Board Chair Paul Kyllo
mined that for mandatory
disagreed.
reporting to be required
“I think it puts more
“reasonable suspicion of
responsibility to report any
sexual abuse necessarily
suspicion they hear,” Kyl-
encompasses a judgement
lo said. “Any time there’s
as to whether the asserted
somebody having sex
physical contact was sexu-
under the age of 18 they
ally motivated.” Essentially,
must report it. Therefore,
the court said that for an
any time they don’t report
incident to fall under the
it, under the new standard
sexual abuse category, and
therefore trigger manda-
— Paul Kyllo, SKSB Chair we are setting, it means
the mandatory reporter
tory reporting to the De-
could be sent to the police
partment of Human Ser-
and put before the DFAB
vices, the incident had to
include the touching of private or intimate parts board. We create that new problem.”
Kyllo added the reporting guidelines might
for the purpose of arousing either party.
That determination, and two executive ses- also be weaponized by students who are mad at
sions on the topic, led to a special meeting of one another.
“I believe that then clogs up the system and
the Salem-Keizer School Board on Aug. 15 to
consider asking the Oregon Supreme Court creates more problems than it helps solve in any
for clarifi cation on mandatory reporting laws. way, shape or form,” Kyllo said.
Board member Kathy Goss worried that a
Board members approved moving forward with
court might respond with requirements the dis-
the request in a 4-2 vote with one abstention.
While the board is no longer seeking to pun- trict didn’t want.
“The court has to rule on the facts but, in so
ish the counselor whose actions led to the court
decision, the action has led to new guidelines doing, they could articulate a standard that is bet-
for mandatory reporting in the Salem-Keizer ter for (mandatory) reporters, the same or worse.
School District that includes a student inquiring That’s all within the conceivable,” said the school
about birth control options after admitting to sex district’s attorney Paul Dakopolos.
Lippold responded, “I don’t want a teenager
with a partner; reports of a pregnancy; a student
confi ding in a teacher after being kicked out of who is worried about whether or not she is
his home for divulging a sexually active, same- pregnant to be taken to court to be prosecut-
sex relationship; in addition to suspected abuse ed along with any other because we decided to
take this to court.”
or neglect.
Board Member Sheronne Blasi said she be-
Please see REPORTING, Page A2
“I believe that ...
clogs up the system
and creates more
problems than it
helps solve in any
way, shape or form.”
What prompted the school
district to revise guidelines?
PAGE A9
MAY 2012
A high school coun-
selor talks with a stu-
dent who claims she
was 'molested' by her
younger brother. After
further questioning, the
counselor
determines
the contact was meant
more to antagonize the
student. No report is
made to DHS or police,
but the counselor con-
tacts the mother.
AUGUST 2013
The counselor appeals
the dismissal to the Or-
egon Fair Dismissal Ap-
peals Board and it is
overturned. The counsel-
or returns to work and re-
ceives back pay for time
lost. Two months later,
the school district peti-
tions the FDAB for recon-
sideration. The board up-
holds its original decision.
The school district fi les
appeal with the Oregon
Court of Appeals.
AUGUST 2017
The Salem-Keizer School
Board convenes a special
meeting and votes, 4-2, to
ask the Oregon Supreme
Court for clarifi cation on
the mandatory reporting
statute. There is no men-
tion of updating existing
policies or guidelines.
OCTOBER 2012
The student repeats the
claim to the non-custo-
dial father and he accus-
es the counselor of neg-
ligence. The counselor is
placed on leave on Nov.
1 and recomended for
dismissal by Superinten-
dent Sandy Husk. The
Salem-Keizer
School
Board approves the dis-
missal in January 2013.
PAGE A3
The Oregon Court of
Appeals upholds FDAB
the decision in a 2-1 vote.
However, the court in-
troduces the notion that
incident reporting must
be accompanied by
suspicion of sexual con-
tact, which is defi ned as
"arousing or gratifying
the sexual desire of ei-
ther party." No manda-
tory reporting training in
the state has ever cov-
ered asking such ques-
tions according to Paul
Dakopolos, an attorney
for the Salem-Keizer
School District.
OCTOBER 2017
New guidlines for mandatory reporting are rolled out in the
form of training slides for SKSD teachers and staff. In addition
to cases of abuse and neglect, mandatory reporters must call
DHS in instances of a student inquiring about birth control
options after admitting to sex with a partner; reports of a
pregnancy; a student confi ding in a teacher after being kicked
out of his home for divulging a sexually active, same-sex
relationship.
for bond forum
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
District will
appeal league
realignment
MARCH 2017
Follow the yellow brick road Keizer turns out
Dorothy, played by Grace Condello, arrives in Munchkinland. The curtain falls on McNary
High School's production of The Wizard of Oz this weekend. Final perfromances are Friday
and Saturday, Nov. 17 and 18, at 7 p.m. and a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Diede to
play D-I
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Of the fi rst four bond
measure forums, Lillian Go-
vus, director of community
relations for the Salem-Keiz-
er School District, said Mc-
Nary High School’s drew by
far the largest crowd as more
than 70 people packed into
the library on Monday, Nov.
13 to see how Keizer schools
would benefi t from a nearly
$620 million bond package.
About half of the attend-
ees were focused on Mc-
Nary, which would receive
$42 million to build 14 new
general classrooms, one new
science lab, one fl exible lab
space and two Career and
Technical Education spaces.
The money would also go
towards reconstructing offi ce
space so it’s easier to check
students in and out and re-
locating softball/soccer fi elds
and tennis courts to the near-
ly 4.5 acres purchased from
St. Edward Catholic Church,
which would allow for park-
ing expansion and give Mc-
Nary a blank slate to recon-
struct the school’s entrance.
But it was an item that
wasn’t on McNary’s list that
led the discussion—a new or-
chestra room.
“It’s a storage space and it
can’t be anything more than
that with our current num-
ber of students,” McNary
senior Emma Snyder said of
the current orchestra room,
adding that the orchestra
consistently fi nishes top fi ve
in the state.
Please see BOND, Page A7
Schools
salute vets
PAGE A4
Playoff
run ends
PAGE A9