A principal at the school where accused killer David Vander Meer counseled students acknowledged his arrest in a letter on Thursday.
Somerset Academy Lone Mountain Principal Cesar Tiu told families the school was aware of reports about Vander Meer’s arrest and death in an email sent just after 1:50 p.m. He assured parents that “the safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority.”
Court papers allege Vander Meer pushed his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, off the top of Angels Landing at Zion National Park in 2006. Her death was originally ruled an accident, until the case was reopened and he was arrested this week.
“Mr. Vander Meer was recently arrested in relation to events that took place nearly 20 years ago, prior to his employment with Somerset Academy,” Tiu wrote in the email. “This news has been deeply unsettling for many members of our school community, and we recognize that families may have questions and concerns.”
David Vander Meer, a former youth pastor, also frequently cheated on Bernadette Vander Meer before her death with an underage member of his youth group who he had groomed since the age of 14 and later married, the documents alleged.
David Vander Meer, 49, died Thursday ahead of his extradition hearing. Authorities said he had “self-sustained injuries.”
Nevada Department of Education records show Vander Meer had held a school counselor license since 2016 and has been with Somerset Academy since the 2016-17 school year.
Tiu said there are legal limitations regarding what the school can disclose about Vander Meer and the investigation but told Somerset families that the school follows all applicable Nevada hiring laws, including a mandated criminal background check for school employees.
“The school has no information beyond what has been publicly released by law enforcement and the media concerning the underlying allegations,” Tiu said. He added the school had not received any reports of wrong-doing by Vander Meer while he was employed at Somerset Academy.
Tiu said parents of Somerset students struggling with the news could contact the school administration to speak with a member of the school’s student support team.
Parent: School’s response ‘not enough’
One Somerset parent who urged the school be transparent about Vander Meer’s work history following his arrest told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he felt the school’s response was inadequate.
“I hope that a lot more information is coming because simply saying that we followed the law and policy in vague terms is not enough,” said Tom Grover, a parent of two Somerset Academy Lone Mountain students.
Grover, 45, said he was shocked by the news that his children’s counselor was arrested for murder and insurance fraud and allegedly had an affair with one of his youth group members. “Those are all very heavy accusations against anyone, but especially someone who’s working with children,” Grover said.
Having met him at school events, Grover described Vander Meer as a quiet man with a mellow personality — “not somebody that you would peg as a killer,” he said.
Grover is seeking a transparent account of Vander Meer’s history at Somerset Academy and the school’s internal response to his arrest. This includes answers to questions about whether he had unsupervised access to Somerset students and disclosed his church work in his job application.
A spokesperson for Somerset Academy told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday that Vander Meer had been placed on administrative leave after his arrest.
Grover emailed these requests to school administrators and Somerset Academy board members Wednesday morning, but said he had not received a response as of Thursday night. He added that parents have not received any communication from the school about Vander Meer outside of the Thursday email to parents.
“It might be that there was no way for the school to know about some of the problems in the past, and it might be that there was a way or that they did know,” Grover said. “What exactly happened? It’s something that the public deserves to know and every parent deserves to know because it’s a matter of institutional integrity and trust.”
Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.
