Mark Hein, the Lake Stevens teacher at the center of a long-running sexual misconduct case, is a former math instructor and coach at Lake Stevens High School in Washington who was arrested in January 2023 on six counts involving minors, saw those charges dismissed days later, resigned in January 2025 with a severance, and whose former school district paid a $2 million settlement in April 2026 to a former student who alleged it failed to protect her from his grooming.[S2] The Daily Herald. Lake Stevens District Pays $2M Sexual Harassment Settlement[/mfn]
Who Mark Hein Is
Hein taught math and coached at Lake Stevens High School from 2003 until his resignation in January 2025, a tenure of roughly two decades.[S7] Fox 13 Seattle. Lake Stevens Lawsuit Sexual Abuse[/mfn] He was 55 when police arrested him in 2023.[S3] Lynnwood Times. Lake Stevens Teacher Arrested on Sexual Misconduct Charges[/mfn]
A criminal investigation began in August 2022, after a King County therapist who was seeing a 15-year-old client filed a mandatory report and then contacted law enforcement directly.[S12] The Journal 425. Teacher vs. Detective: The Sex Crimes Interview[/mfn][S2] The Daily Herald. Lake Stevens District Pays $2M Sexual Harassment Settlement[/mfn] Lake Stevens Police Department Detective Kristin Parnell, a sex crimes specialist, interviewed Hein on August 15, 2022, and documented that she had obtained probable cause supporting felony sexual misconduct charges.[S15] The Journal 425. Unlocked Hein Files[/mfn] Hein was placed on paid administrative leave that same month.[S13] The Journal 425. The Mark Hein Investigation[/mfn]
The Arrest and Dismissed Charges
On January 25, 2023, the Lake Stevens Police Department arrested Hein on six gross misdemeanor charges:[S3] Lynnwood Times. Lake Stevens Teacher Arrested on Sexual Misconduct Charges[/mfn]
- Two counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes
- Two counts of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation
- Two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor
He was booked at the Snohomish County Jail and released after posting bail the same evening.[S8] Lynnwood Times. Lake Stevens Teacher Charges Dropped[/mfn]
Five days later, on January 30, 2023, Marysville Municipal Court Judge Lorrie Towers dismissed the charges without prejudice, which left the door open for prosecutors to refile.[S9] The Daily Herald. Charges Dropped for Lake Stevens Teacher Accused of Harassing Student[/mfn] Detective Jeff Young said at the time that the department was continuing its investigation and working with the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office on the possibility of refiling.[S8] Lynnwood Times. Lake Stevens Teacher Charges Dropped[/mfn] No new charges were ever filed. As of April 2026, the department said it was not conducting any further investigation.[S5] The Daily Herald. Two Years of Hell: Mom, Former Lake Stevens Student Speak Out After Settlement[/mfn] Hein has not been convicted of any criminal offense.
What He Was Accused of Doing
The most detailed account came through a civil lawsuit filed on August 12, 2024, by former student Kalynn Taber. According to that complaint, Hein used his position to build trust with Taber beginning in 2021, when she was 15. He shared intimate details of his marriage with her, asked about her boyfriend, made derogatory comments about her mother, and gave her preferential treatment that included changing her grades.[S5] The Daily Herald. Two Years of Hell: Mom, Former Lake Stevens Student Speak Out After Settlement[/mfn]
Physically, the lawsuit alleged, he drew on her hands and arms with markers, left his leg pressed against hers while seated, touched and rubbed her thigh, and locked his ankle around hers under a desk. He offered gifts and notes, and suggested she manage the boys’ basketball team he coached or attend an overnight camp he chaperoned. The complaint described the pattern as deliberate grooming for the purpose of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and alleged that Hein “routinely targeted and sexually groomed his female students” across his nearly 20-year tenure at the school.[S5] The Daily Herald. Two Years of Hell: Mom, Former Lake Stevens Student Speak Out After Settlement[/mfn][S7] Fox 13 Seattle. Lake Stevens Lawsuit Sexual Abuse[/mfn]
A second victim, also 15, was identified during the 2023 police investigation. She alleged that Hein targeted her during his fifth-period math class starting in June 2022, and described inappropriate touching, unauthorized photography, personal email exchanges outside school hours, and unearned grades.[S8] Lynnwood Times. Lake Stevens Teacher Charges Dropped[/mfn]
When Detective Parnell interviewed him in August 2022, Hein called the situation a “big misunderstanding,” said he was “an affectionate person by nature,” and told her all student interactions had been initiated by the students.[S8] Lynnwood Times. Lake Stevens Teacher Charges Dropped[/mfn]
How the District Handled It
Lake Stevens School District ran its own internal review in early 2022 and found that Hein had violated boundaries with a 15-year-old student. Its response was to direct Hein to stay away from that student and to issue a formal letter documenting the directive.[S13] The Journal 425. The Mark Hein Investigation[/mfn] The district did not report Hein to law enforcement. Investigative reporting described a gap between how police and the district viewed the same conduct: police treated it as potential sex crimes, while the district categorized it as a “boundary invasion” and issued what was characterized as a “toothless warning.”[S14] The Journal 425. Lake Stevens School District Will Pay[/mfn]
When Kalynn Taber’s mother, Chari Taber, raised concerns with Associate Principal Tonya Grinde in early 2022, the district moved Kalynn to a new math class in March 2022 and told Hein to have no contact with her. The lawsuit alleged Hein continued to encounter her at school through April 2022, at one point standing outside her new classroom and staring at her.[S5] The Daily Herald. Two Years of Hell: Mom, Former Lake Stevens Student Speak Out After Settlement[/mfn]
The suit alleged the district failed to notify law enforcement when Taber first reported Hein in January 2022, and failed again when another teacher separately reported concerns. That second teacher believed she was following mandatory reporting laws and assumed a police investigation had been triggered by her report. None had. Police only opened a case in August 2022, after the outside King County therapist contacted them directly.[S2] The Daily Herald. Lake Stevens District Pays $2M Sexual Harassment Settlement[/mfn]
The district also did not report Hein to Washington’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) until August 23, 2024, more than two years after the initial allegations and eleven days after Taber filed her lawsuit. An OSPI spokesperson said districts are required to notify the office but have “quite a bit of time to do so,” and some wait until internal investigations conclude.[S2] The Daily Herald. Lake Stevens District Pays $2M Sexual Harassment Settlement[/mfn]
The $2 Million Settlement
On April 6, 2026, the Lake Stevens School District agreed to pay Kalynn Taber $2 million to resolve her lawsuit.[S2] The Daily Herald. Lake Stevens District Pays $2M Sexual Harassment Settlement[/mfn] As part of the settlement, the district committed to overhauling training for school staff and district administrators on sexual grooming identification and mandatory reporting.[S11] KOMO News. Lake Stevens Schools to Pay Millions to Settle Former Student’s Grooming Lawsuit[/mfn]
Taber’s attorney, Maridith Ramsey, called the district’s conduct a “betrayal to every child in the Lake Stevens School District” and said forcing a 15-year-old through years of litigation to make schools protect students was itself a failure. Ramsey called the training mandate “a good start” but said meaningful change would require more, including “change in personnel.”[S2] The Daily Herald. Lake Stevens District Pays $2M Sexual Harassment Settlement[/mfn]
Chari Taber, who worked for the district as a family engagement and student success specialist when the allegations arose, described the period after her complaint as “two years of hell” and said she and her daughter were met with distrust by school leadership, including Principal Leslie Ivelia and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources John Balmer. She left the district in November 2023. During litigation, the family said the district scrutinized Kalynn’s personal, medical, and counseling records in a way her attorney called re-traumatizing.[S5] The Daily Herald. Two Years of Hell: Mom, Former Lake Stevens Student Speak Out After Settlement[/mfn]
Where Hein Is Now
Hein stayed on paid administrative leave for more than two years after August 2022. He resigned from the Lake Stevens School District in January 2025 and received a severance payment of $122,184.[S5] The Daily Herald. Two Years of Hell: Mom, Former Lake Stevens Student Speak Out After Settlement[/mfn] OSPI is investigating his teaching certificate.[S11] KOMO News. Lake Stevens Schools to Pay Millions to Settle Former Student’s Grooming Lawsuit[/mfn] As of early 2026, he was reported to be working as a real estate agent in Spokane, Washington.[S5] The Daily Herald. Two Years of Hell: Mom, Former Lake Stevens Student Speak Out After Settlement[/mfn]