Former Mercer Island teacher accused of sexual abuse, school allegedly covered it up

A former Mercer Island High School (MIHS) teacher has been accused of pursuing sexual relationships with at least two teenage students in 2015, and MIHS allegedly covered it up, according to The Mercer Island Reporter.

An English and journalism teacher at MIHS, texted female students, met for food outside of school hours, and allegedly sexually assaulted a student at a concert.

Mercer Island H.S. allegedly covers up former teachers’ sexual abuse

Administrators at MIHS received an anonymous tip in March 2016 that reported a teacher at the school was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a sophomore student. Eight years later, an investigation was opened for the instructor’s predatory actions.

A student victim claimed she had been in an “emotional and physical” relationship with her teacher in 2015, when she was a senior at MIHS. King County prosecutors, after a thorough investigation, said they could “establish the suspect engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim beyond a reasonable doubt.” However, the three-year statute of limitations had already passed, and no charges could be filed.

The MIHS teacher was quietly put on administrative leave in 2023 for more than a year. He then formally resigned in February 2025. The educator revoked his Washington teaching license, although the terms of his resignation leave a possibility for him to teach in other states.

The school district delivered a statement on Aug. 8, stating that it made “multiple efforts” in 2016 to contact the anonymous tipster, and did not receive a response. Police reports and public records indicated otherwise and showed school administrators dismissed the tip and discouraged further inquiries.

“They could have ended it then and there, and they didn’t,” Brian Gaspar, a Mercer Island parent told The Mercer Island Reporter. “Instead, they let it perpetuate for another seven years.”

Details in the case

The victim, who filed her report in 2023, told police that the teacher began contacting her after the school year started in the fall of 2015. The victim was a senior and enrolled in one of his classes.

The messages between the two started on the school’s chat system, ranging from topics like music and current affairs, according to the victims 2023 police interview. The conversation later moved off of the school’s messaging system, and text messages and photographs were exchanged. Some of the messages were sexually explicit, and the relationship turned sexual, according to the police statement.

The MIHS instructor and the teenage victim texted and hung out throughout the fall semester. This included eating at a diner before school to avoid being seen, and attending another student’s concert in Seattle. At the concert, the teacher sexually assaulted the victim, according to her statement to police.

After the alleged assault, the victim distanced herself from the teacher; however, she remained in his class for the rest of the year. She described the class environment as “tense,” and the instructor threatened to give the victim a failing grade if she did not meet with him in private. The student denied her instructor’s demand and threatened to report it to the principal if he failed her in the class.

Following her threat, the two did not have contact until December 2023, when the instructor emailed the victim while she was at work. The victim had told a co-worker about the inappropriate relationship with her high-school teacher, who her co-worker was dating at that time. The next day, the instructor reached out to the victim via email.

“I believe I have done you great harm, and it would mean a lot to say that in person,” the teacher wrote in the email, according to The Mercer Island Reporter.

The victim forwarded the email to her supervisors in fear of her former instructor showing up at her workplace. A report was filed with the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families, and the MIHS teacher was quietly placed on paid administrative leave shortly after.

“They should have done the right thing, which is let the community know, tried to find other victims, and provide support for those that needed it,” Gaspar told the Mercer Island Reporter. “Instead, they gave him a 14-month leave.”

On Aug. 8, Superintendent Fred Rundle emailed parents and students announcing that the teacher was leaving the district. Less than one hour after the email was sent, the school board president, Maggie Tai Tucker, accidentally called an InvestigateWest reporter and told her “not to speak to the InvestigateWest reporter.” Tucker then abruptly hung up the phone.

At the time of the alleged abuse, state law had a statute of limitations that was three years from the time of the incident’s occurrence. This law was changed in 2019, allowing alleged sexual misconduct to be reported any time after the incident.

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