State House Candidate Ben Edtl Demands Accountability from Tigard Tualatin School District for Secret Research on Parents
Police report was filed on October 11, 2024 and has been sent to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office for review. Case number #WP242850846.
Tualatin, Ore. – In a shocking revelation, State House candidate Ben Edtl today exposed former Tigard-Tualatin School District (TTSD) Superintendent Dr. Sue Rieke-Smith for secretly commissioning research on parents, including himself, who raised concerns about student safety and district policies. This covert operation, Edtl claims, was a deliberate attempt to cover up the failure to address violent behavior, specifically regarding a trans female student who repeatedly assaulted biological female students without intervention at Hazelbrook Middle School.
"The real story here is the district's gross negligence in dealing with a violent biological male who physically assaulted multiple girls of lesser stature who was given a pass because he identified as a female. Instead of taking responsibility for the conscious lack of behavioral intervention, Dr. Rieke-Smith and the TTSD Board of Directors colluded to spy on parents who dared to ask tough questions," Edtl, a parent and community leader, said. "This wasn't just a betrayal of public trust - it was a secret operation designed to gaslight and silence concerned families by shifting blame for the district's failures onto them.”
The incident that ignited outrage took place last September at Hazelbrook Middle School, where a trans female student violently assaulted a biological female of less stature. A video of the attack went viral prompting parents to question the district’s inadequate response. Parents demanded answers about the lack of intervention and how the school planned to ensure student safety moving forward.
Rather than addressing these critical safety concerns, Dr. Rieke-Smith used her connections at the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA), to enlist out-of-state technology firm to conduct research on parents like Edtl, who were vocal in their criticism of the district. Edtl argues this was a deliberate strategy to divert attention away from the administration’s mishandling of the violent incidents and instead paint the concerned parents as the problem.
Text message sent to TTSD Board and District Communications Team, by Sue Rieki-Smith. Message retrieved from Board Member Jill Zurschmeide.
Edtl cited ORS 162.415, which defines official misconduct in the first degree as when a public servant knowingly abuses their position to benefit themselves or harm others. "While the community was widely calling for her resignation, the Superintendent colluded with the Board to cover up the situation at Hazelbrook in effort to protect her job, which is clearly a financial interest,” Edtl said. “At the same time, the district publicly smeared concerned parents, including myself, as being hateful far-right extremists to deliberately discredit valid concerns. These actions went beyond poor judgment - it's potentially criminal misconduct.”
A call for Transparency and Justice
Edtl is calling on the Tigard-Tualatin School District to come clean. He demands that the district disclose all records related to the secret research on parents and reveal exactly what was collected, who was targeted, and how the information was used.
“We need full transparency now,” Edtl said. “I want to know every single parent who was targeted, what research was done and why the district thought it was acceptable to engage in this kind of behavior. The people of this community deserve to know the truth.”
Edtl urged the Washington County District Attorney to investigate the district’s actions and ensure that those involved are held accountable. A police report was made to the Tigard Police Department on October 11, 2024 with incident number #WP242850846.
“This is not just about me or my family—this is about every parent in this district who has the right to stand up for their kids without fear of being secretly investigated by the school district. We deserve to know the full truth and I won’t stop until we get it.”
A Clear Pattern of Mistrust
According to Edtl, this incident is just one example of a larger pattern under the current Board leadership at TTSD - a pattern of deflection, deception, and disregard for the concerns of parents. Edtl vowed to continue pushing for transparency and accountability in the district, calling for a complete investigation into the administration’s handling of these incidents.
"Parents have the right to ask questions about their children's safety, and they shouldn't be met with retaliation," Edtl concluded. "Our schools are supposed to be safe places for all children, not a battleground for political cover-ups."
Edtl laid out a series of events that show how TTSD manipulated the narrative to avoid accountability for their mishandling of student safety:
Timeline
September 20, 2023
Female assaulted from behind by much larger and stronger trans “female” (biological male) in hallway at Hazelbrook Middle School.
September 27, 2023
Ben posted video of attack on X and it went viral receiving hundreds of millions of views worldwide. Nothing he said was “anti-trans.” In fact, he stated that both children are victims of the system.
https://x.com/benedtl/status/1707244991100367094
September 28, 2023
The following day, Sue Rieki-Smith sent a text message to all TTSD Board Members as well as district communications team to begin the cover up and gaslight campaign to protect her job and harm the reputation of parents, including his own.
https://x.com/benedtl/status/1846194202360844716
September 28, 2023
Video was posted of the same perpetrator committing a prior assault on two girls in Spring of 2023 without intervention by the District.
https://x.com/thepeaklady/status/1707461016962138508
September 28, 2023
The TTSD Board of Directors released a statement accusing adults of exposing minors, inspiring false information, discourse on sexual identity, contributing to the trauma of individuals and families, harassment and bias.
https://x.com/benedtl/status/1707554874039353481
September 30, 2023
Letter from Hazelbrook teacher pleading with the Board to repeal Restorative Justice policies, claims students and staff aren’t safe, confirming the legitimate concerns of parents.
https://x.com/benedtl/status/1708133964391801243
October 4, 2024
Letter of support from COSA, OEA, PTA and more sent to Sue Rieki-Smith and TTSD Board in part stating they “Stand in solidarity with you in denouncing hate, violence and intimidation in all forms.” Referring to protections of “gender, gender identity and sexual orientation.”
https://x.com/benedtl/status/1711456128704577682
October 4, 2024
District challenged students and staff for recording incidents and spreading “misinformation” as shown in a slide presented to students and staff.
https://x.com/CoClarified/status/1709560928130543802
October 5, 2024
Article by KGW news states “kids, too, are getting their first real glimpses of what bigotry looks like.” The article also states that “conservative activists claimed without confirmation that the attacker was transgender based on the student’s appearance and clothes – and the student’s perceived identity quickly became the center of the uproar.” The article quoted the district about the spreading of the videos across the country stating it was “inspiring false information and a focus and discourse on sexual identity.” And quoted Sue Rieki-Smith lies: “There is no connection to gender identity there and this is the hate that we are dealing with now from groups across the country and even here locally, and that has no place in our schools.” Another District statement was quoted as “Students and adults contributed to the sharing of this recording that exposed minors who were directly and indirectly involved without consent.” The remainder of the article accused Ben of spreading “ammunition for the culture war” and painted him and other parents as right-wing extremists.
This article confirms the strategy of the Superintendent Sue Rieki-Smith and the TTSD Board to cover up negligence.
October 9, 2023
TTSD Board Meeting was moved from in-person to Zoom in order to avoid direct outcry from the community and more easily censor public comment. Multiple community members signed up for public comments. Ben was cut off within the first minute of his testimony by Board Chair Trystan Irving who accused him of using “harmful language towards specific groups.” He was referring to “Policy of Gender Theory indoctrination that rewards children for declaring they are the opposite sex.”
The full meeting can be viewed here with the wrongful cutoff occurring at 52:58:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuu09PLXMz8
His full and complete testimony can be seen here for reference:
https://x.com/benedtl/status/1711888569307144203
January 8, 2024
During a regular meeting of the TTSD School Board, Member Jill Zurschmeide stated “I want to be clear. I, for one, will not vote to remove our superintendent from her position and I would be loathed to accept her resignation. Why? Because claims that are being made are simply untrue.” Then she moves to attack Ben personally, stating that he’s lying about the financial position of the district. She goes on to state: “True, I’m not completely surprised to read bogus claims like this on the social media of someone, like Mr. Edtl, who has close ties to fringe groups.”
The statements by Zurschmeide at the public meeting of the Board can be seen here:
https://x.com/benedtl/status/1746662197533737375
October 3, 2024
Representative Jules Walters, friends with Zurschemeide, accused Ben of “doxing trans kids” at Hazelbrook middle school to use and perpetuate the effort of the TTSD to damage Ben’s reputation for her own political interest.
The statement was recorded, with all parties aware of the recordings in process, and can be heard here:
https://x.com/benedtl/status/1844788536656236569
Date Unknown
This is a meeting captured that shows the company that conducted the AI based research on Ben and “10 or so others” and used the Hazelbrook situation as a success story in helping the Superintendent convince the School Board to protect her occupational and financial interests while the community was widely and justifiably calling for her resignation or termination.
https://x.com/benedtl/status/1846195008900407688
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Ben Edtl for the People
About Ben
Ben Edtl is the Republican Nominee for Oregon’s 37th House District located in the South Portland Metro Area. He is a parent of two children in the Tigard Tualatin School District. He’s running for State Rep to stop political corruption and bring transparency, accountability and integrity back to public service. He advocates for policies that prioritize the well-being of all Oregonians, especially children.
