School principal will spend rest of life in prison after sexually abusing students

 A former Oregon elementary school principal is set to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Jeff Hays, 68, received 43 years and nine months in state prison Tuesday after being convicted of sexually abusing four students in his office during his administrative tenure at Deep Creek Elementary School in Damascus, Oregon, from 2005 to 2009, according to a report.

“This is a significant sentence because this is a significant case,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Scott Healy. “It sends a message to the community and to anyone else in a position of power and trust who might be a pedophile.”

BOY SCOUT TROOPS HELP SAVE PASSENGERS AFTER TRAIN DERAILS IN MISSOURI

Jeff Hays, the ex-principal of Deep Creek Elementary School in Damascus, Oregon, was sentenced to 43 years and nine months in state prison Tuesday after being convicted of sexually abusing four students during his tenure.

(Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office)

Following a five-week trial, Hays was convicted of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and six counts of sex abuse earlier this month.

“I went to school to be taught, but instead, my innocence was taken away from me,” one student said during the sentencing hearing Tuesday. “You are paying the price of your own choices.”

The Gresham-Barlow School District has reportedly paid millions following civil jury verdicts and settlements to the four students, who began filing lawsuits six years ago.

The sentence cannot be lessened with good behavior or the completion of programs while incarcerated. Hays will be 111 years old at the completion of the sentence and would be eligible for probation for life.

Hays’s legal team has said he plans to appeal the conviction.

School principal will spend rest of life in prison after sexually abusing students | Washington Examiner