Staff member locked children in school’s boiler room as punishment, lawsuit says

MILWAUKEE (WISN) – Video taken inside the boiler room of a school sets the scene of a lawsuit filed by multiple parents suing Milwaukee Public Schools and several staff members.

The lawsuit claims a paraprofessional at Thurston Woods School would place children in the boiler room, referring to it as “the dungeon,” to punish and scare them.

It accuses other staff of failing to intervene, even saying they would threaten to ask that same staff member to put students in the dungeon if they did not behave.

According to the lawsuit, there were several of these punishments throughout two school years starting in 2022.

Reportedly, the lights would be off, and the paraprofessional would require the students to “remove their shoes once locked inside ‘the dungeon.’”

Once inside, they would be subjected to “the harsh smells of the chemicals and cleaning products” stored there.

The attorney representing the three students provided a video from inside the school. He said it shows the paraprofessional pulling a student by their arm into the boiler room before standing in front of the door, preventing the student from escaping.

Moments later, the worker opens the door, again holding the student’s arm as they exit.

The paraprofessional did not answer the door when WISN reporters attempted to talk to him.

When asked about “the dungeon,” the lawsuit said “students would become so scared, stressed and upset that they would begin to cry.”

The students also “experienced sleep issues, nightmares and waking up crying during the night” in fear.

In a statement, Milwaukee Public Schools said “while we cannot comment on ongoing litigation, the district thoroughly investigated this matter in 2023 and took appropriate disciplinary action which included termination of the employment.”

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