Reports by InvestigateWest on Mercer Island teachers | Letters

Published 3:50 pm Monday, March 16, 2026

Reports by InvestigateWest

I appreciate the reports by Moe Clark of InvestigateWest on allegations of sexual abuse of Mercer Island High School students by teachers.

I have two suggestions for Ms. Clark: One, consistently provide the information needed for the reader to draw their own conclusions. Two, avoid asserting legal conclusions have been drawn when this may not be the case. (Or clarify that legal conclusions have been drawn, and by whom.)

Cases in point:

1) In the article in the Reporter on March 11, 2026, Clark describes the investigation conducted in 2012 by the Mercer Island School District noting that the administration and the school board “failed” to contact the police department until 2024. Ms. Clark should include what was required legally or by policy of the school district and board under the circumstances and how they failed the law or policy, if such information is available.

2) The same article refers to Gary “Chris” Twombley, “who engaged in an inappropriate relationship with an underage student in 2025 – allegations that the current district leaders kept quiet.” Which is it? He “engaged in an inappropriate relationship” or there are “allegations” that he engaged in said relationship? What is meant by the phrase “kept quiet”? What were the reporting requirements for the allegations and did the district leaders fail to meet those requirements? If so, in what way did they fail?

We need reporting in our local news source that meets the highest standards of journalism including terminology that reveals what is known about the topic at hand.

Carolyn Boatsman, Mercer Island