The Vancouver Police Department is investigating possible sexual contact between students in a locker room at Fort Vancouver High School, a department spokesperson stated to The Seattle Times in an email.
The incident allegedly involves members of the Trappers’ varsity football team, which was reported Oct. 12 by the school’s security personnel, the spokesperson said.
FVHS principal Luis A. Castro-Quintanilla notified “Fort families” Tuesday that the varsity season had been canceled, but the initial email stated it was due to player injuries and limited player availability, according to a copy sent to The Seattle Times.
On Thursday, Castro-Quintanilla emailed families and staff to “provide some additional context about that decision.” He stated the initial email was sent in the “early stages” of working with law enforcement to investigate what happened and how to handle the situation.
“Last week, we became aware of serious allegations of inappropriate behavior involving members of our varsity football team,” Castro-Quintanilla wrote. “We immediately reported these concerns to law enforcement, began our own internal investigation, and put safety measures in place to protect those who reported the incident.
“As we previously shared, the decision to cancel the remainder of the varsity football season was due to a combination of injuries and player availability. At the time of that message, we were still in the early stages of working with law enforcement and determining the appropriate next steps in our investigation.
“As more information was shared with us, we determined that bringing in an independent, outside investigator would be the best way to objectively determine what happened, the full extent of any misconduct, and the best next steps as a result.”
The apparent lack of transparency prompted approximately 100 students to walk out of their afternoon classes Thursday. School was conducted as normal Friday, according to a school employee.
FVHS junior Victoria Hansen told Portland’s KOIN 6 News that she organized the walkout.
“It’s revolting. It’s gross,” Hansen told the news station. “I can’t believe that this type of thing has made its way into our schools. … You don’t have to tell us the whole story, but at least let us know that there are people with sexual-assault allegations in our school.”
A Vancouver School District spokesperson acknowledged an influx of allegations circulating within the community since Castro-Quintanilla sent Thursday’s email. Some of those details weren’t corroborated with information provided to the district, according to an email sent to The Seattle Times.
Specifics weren’t provided due to federal privacy laws and student safety. The spokesperson also didn’t comment regarding reports that the school’s JV team would conclude its season and some varsity members could participate.
Fort Vancouver is a Class 1A school that plays in the Trico League. The Trappers (0-7) had two varsity and JV games remaining this season — a matchup against Kalama (2-5) on Thursday was canceled for both teams. A varsity game against La Center (5-2) on Oct. 30 is marked as canceled on the league’s website.
“We do encourage anyone with additional information to report that directly to us right away,” the spokesperson stated via email. “We take all allegations involving student safety and misconduct seriously. As mentioned [Thursday], we are working with an external investigator to fully understand what happened. We are also actively sharing all information reported with the Vancouver Police Department. If this investigation determines that inappropriate behavior occurred, we will take appropriate action, including disciplinary measures as warranted.”
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