Longview School Board Meeting Following Arrest of Karen Cloninger—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

The outrage continued at last night’s Longview School Board meeting as community members demanded answers from board members following last week’s announcement that Superintendent Karen Cloninger had been arrested. Cloninger faces a felony witness tampering charge along with two misdemeanor charges after months of an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual assaults involving Mark Morris High School basketball players in a locker room. The investigation previously led to several players being arrested on rape charges back in February.

The meeting began with newly appointed Acting Superintendent Patti Bowen addressing the community regarding the arrest and other district leadership members being placed on administrative leave. Bowen said the district recognizes the depth of concern from the community and is focused on moving forward.

Bowen also spoke about the district hiring an additional outside investigator to review how staff handled the allegations and whether district policies and state law were followed. She reiterated that there are limits to what can be shared publicly while investigations remain active, but said the district is committed to transparency, cooperation with investigators, and taking appropriate accountability actions based on the findings.

Public comment lasted about an hour and a half, with many of the same frustrations voiced at previous meetings. One of the biggest concerns raised was why the board waited until Cloninger’s arrest to place her on leave and why her contract had been extended while the investigation was ongoing. Multiple people also called on board members to resign over the situation and their handling of it.

Additional concerns raised included mandatory reporting laws, the Open Public Meetings Act, employee salaries while on leave, and the length of public comment periods.

The meeting came after a protest outside the district office that lasted about an hour and a half before the meeting began, with demonstrators demanding more action from district leadership.