© 2023 KLCC

KLCC
136 W 8th Ave
Eugene OR 97401
541-463-6000
klcc@klcc.org

Contact Us

FCC Applications
Oregon's Willamette Valley seen from Eugene
NPR for Oregonians
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations

Attorney: A3 Principal May Have Victimized More Students

Springfield School District
/

The attorney for a former Academy of Arts and Academics student who’s suing the Springfield school district says there’s a good chance others may have been harmed by its principal.

Barb Long is a Portland attorney representing a woman who endured a decade-long episode of unwanted sexual encounters, stalking, harassment, and grooming by Mike Fisher. A day after being put on administrative leave this winter, Fisher hanged himself in his garage.

Long says she’s pored over police and school reports that show Springfield School District employees knew something inappropriate was going on between Fisher and the then-underage girl, but failed to intervene.

“I haven’t heard anything specifically other than what I have read in the incident report, but I think there’s a great likelihood that other people have been affected," she tells KLCC. 

"I think that his suicide really constitutes an admission, and certainly my client and others would have preferred for him go through the criminal justice process rather than what happened.”

Long is seeking maximum damages for her client. A Springfield Police spokesman says so far, he’s not heard from anyone else claiming to have been victimized by Fisher.

Copyright 2018, KLCC.

Brian Bull joined the KLCC News Team in June 2016. In his 25+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional), the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
Related Content