Students at Hudson Bay High School protest the handling of a teacher’s alleged sexual misconduct case, demanding accountability and justice.
Shadbreon Gatson, the teacher in question, was arrested back in December 2024. He faced charges for sexual misconduct with a minor after a former student came forward. This student claimed that Gatson had victimized her back in 2013 when she was just 13 years old.
The allegations suggest that their inappropriate relationship happened both at school and outside of it. The former student has been dealing with the trauma from this experience for years, which finally pushed her to speak out in December 2024.
However, things took a turn when prosecutors dropped the charges because the statute of limitations had expired. As of now, Gatson is still on administrative leave, which has really upset the students.
On Monday, they marched to the Vancouver Public Schools district headquarters to voice their frustration. They want to see real action taken regarding the case.
Interestingly, two other school employees who were in administrative roles at the time have also been placed on leave while the investigation continues.
Gatson has a troubling history, with allegations of misconduct dating back to 2013, 2014, 2017, and now possibly 2024. It’s reported that he started this inappropriate relationship by assigning the girl to detention in his classroom.
A custodian even claimed to have caught Gatson in a compromising situation with a student back in June 2013. The custodian reported hearing noises and saw Gatson come out of a storage room without shoes and with an untucked shirt.
Despite multiple interviews and reports, the school concluded that nothing inappropriate had occurred between Gatson and the girl at that time.
School officials, including the former assistant principal and principal, were informed about the incident but opted to go on administrative leave during the investigation.
In a letter of admonishment from 2013, it was noted that Gatson had exercised poor judgment with a female student. This was not the first warning he received; he had been directed to maintain appropriate boundaries with students in the past.
More recently, prosecutors have indicated that additional informants have come forward with new allegations against Gatson from 2024.
It’s also been revealed that he received guidance on how to interact with female students as far back as 2009. As of now, Gatson does not appear on Clark County records.
The Independent has reached out to the Vancouver Police Department, Clark County officials, and Hudson Bay High School for comments on this situation.
