David Sibley Abuse Allegations at Meadowdale Elementary: What Families Need to Know
Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala is investigating abuse allegations against David Sibley, a former special education teacher at Meadowdale Elementary School in the Edmonds School District, along with how district administrators responded to years of internal warnings about his conduct before a student came forward with allegations of sexual assault. Records reviewed by The Daily Herald and InvestigateWest show staff, students, and parents raised concerns about Sibley’s conduct with children as early as 2022, more than a year before the alleged assault took place.
What the Reporting Shows About David Sibley
According to public records and reporting on the matter, a mother raised concerns to the school principal in December 2022 about how Sibley touched girls in his classroom. A school psychologist emailed district administrators in June 2023 after witnessing Sibley hold a student’s hand and describing the behavior as inappropriate. A staff member reported to administrators in December 2023 that a first grade student was being subjected to prolonged, inappropriate hugs from Sibley. That same month, a fifth grade student alleges she was assaulted by Sibley after he released the rest of the class to recess.
Despite these reports, Sibley was not removed from the classroom until roughly eight months after the December 2023 report. He remained on paid administrative leave for nearly two years afterward. The Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office announced in July 2026 that it would not file charges against Sibley, citing insufficient admissible evidence, though he remains the subject of continued scrutiny by families and former staff who reported concerns to the district for years.
Why This Matters
Washington law requires school districts to notify a parent or guardian when their child is identified as the potential victim of physical or sexual abuse, misconduct, or assault by a school employee. Multiple sources who worked at Meadowdale Elementary have stated publicly that the district never notified affected families, even after opening internal investigations into Sibley’s conduct.
Institutions that receive repeated warnings about an employee’s behavior around children carry a legal obligation to act on those warnings. When a school district fails to remove an employee from contact with students, fails to interview the children involved, or fails to notify families as required by law, that failure can itself become a basis for legal accountability separate from the conduct of the employee.
Washington sets specific time limits on when survivors of childhood sexual abuse can bring a claim, and those deadlines work differently than they do in most other kinds of cases. Families who are unsure whether time has run out on a claim can read more about Washington’s statute of limitations for child sex abuse, or contact us to talk it through.
Have You or Your Child Been Affected?
If your child attended Meadowdale Elementary between 2022 and 2025, or if your family has information about how Edmonds School District responded to concerns about staff conduct, PCVA would like to hear from you. Our firm represents survivors of institutional abuse across Washington State, and we handle these conversations with discretion and care.
Consultations are confidential and free of charge. You are not obligated to take any action by speaking with us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has David Sibley been criminally charged?
No. The Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office declined to file charges in July 2026, citing a lack of sufficient admissible evidence. A decision not to prosecute is not a finding that the underlying allegations are false, and it does not resolve the separate question of whether the school district failed in its legal duties to students and families.
Can I bring a claim against a school district, not just an individual employee?
Yes. Washington law allows families to hold public school districts accountable when administrators knew or should have known about a risk to students and failed to act. This is distinct from any criminal case against an individual employee.
What if my child never told me anything happened?
Many survivors of institutional abuse do not disclose what happened until months or years later, if at all. If you have any concern based on your child's time at Meadowdale Elementary, we encourage you to reach out. An initial conversation does not commit you to anything.
Why didn't Edmonds School District fire David Sibley?
Records show the district's human resources office investigated Sibley in December 2023 but did not interview any students as part of that investigation. The result was a "letter of directives" placed in his internal discipline file rather than removal or termination. That letter reportedly would not have followed Sibley automatically if he moved to another district. Sibley was eventually placed on paid administrative leave roughly eight months after the December 2023 report, and the district was reportedly preparing to reassign him to a position at Meadowdale High School before the alleged victim learned of the plan and came forward to police.
Why weren't parents notified sooner?
Washington law requires districts to notify a parent or guardian when their child is identified as a possible victim of abuse, misconduct, or assault by a school employee. According to public reporting, Edmonds School District has not made a school-wide or public notification about Sibley, and the district spokesperson has declined to confirm whether individual families of alleged victims were notified. Former staff who raised concerns internally have said publicly that they believe the district failed its legal and moral obligation to inform parents.
David Sibley In The News
What These Reports Have in Common
Across every outlet, the same pattern emerges: multiple staff members and at least one parent raised concerns about Sibley to Meadowdale Elementary administrators over a period of years, an internal investigation was conducted without interviewing any students, and Sibley remained employed and, for a period, was slated for reassignment rather than removal. No outlet reports that Edmonds School District made a public or school-wide notification to families.