MPS child abuse case; former teacher gets no charges after video circulates

No charges for MPS teacher in child abuse case

A former MPS teacher won’t face charges after video showed her grabbing and throwing a 5-year-old student, prompting concern from the child’s mother.

MILWAUKEE - Prosecutors will not charge a now-former Milwaukee Public Schools teacher after police said she grabbed a 5-year-old student by the neck, picked him up, threw him down and struck him with her forearm – an incident caught on video inside Siefert School.

What we know:

The Milwaukee County Chief Deputy District Attorney said the evidence does not meet the legal standard for criminal child abuse, recklessly causing bodily harm. But the student’s mother said the decision leaves her worried the case is being minimized.

Mother Kenjala Johnson said she trusted the school with her nonverbal 5-year-old son, who lives with autism, until she saw what happened in the footage recorded on Sept. 29. The video – recorded by another person in the classroom – shows the boy’s special education teacher grab him by the neck, lift him off the ground, throw him down and hit him with her forearm.

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A Milwaukee police report noted the boy "seemed to be filled with fear by his facial expressions."

What they're saying:

"I met with the teachers. They seemed pretty cool, like they knew what they were doing," Johnson said. "One of the teachers had experience working with children with autism, so it just seemed like a perfect fit for him."

Johnson said she was not told about the incident until a week later, long after the recording had been taken.

Kenjala Johnson

"To have us continue to bring our child to this school, knowing that this happened and that this teacher was still here was just insane," Johnson said.

Dig deeper:

MPS told FOX6 the teacher is no longer employed by the district. According to the police report, she was fired the same day the school reported the incident to police.

Johnson has since moved her son to another school, saying a firing alone is not enough accountability.

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"I just refuse to let it be swept under the rug. Like, it's just not fair. It's not fair for her to even be able to pick up another career dealing with kids like this," Johnson said.

FOX6 contacted the former teacher, who is not being identified because she was not charged. She hung up the phone.

Several MPS employees have been arrested or accused of child abuse in recent months. The district said even one case is too many and that it takes appropriate action after thorough investigations.