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MILWAUKEE - A woman is accused of posing as a Milwaukee Public Schools substitute teacher, going into a classroom and berating students in September.
Charges filed
In court:
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office charged 23-year-old Amy Jones with impersonating a public employee and four counts of exposing a child to harmful descriptions.
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What's next:
Court records show she is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Amy Jones
Woman enters Rufus King
The backstory:
It happened at Rufus King International High School on Sept. 24. According to a criminal complaint, Jones scouted the school beforehand and got inside after she pretended to be a substitute teacher and put her name on a sign-in sheet.
A real teacher set up class materials with Jones in a classroom for the first 20 minutes, and prosecutors said Jones began acting out when that teacher left the room.
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What they're saying:
The complaint said students told investigators that Jones used profane language and racial slurs, made sexually derivative statements and organized students by race and gender. It went on to say Jones bragged about having felonies and being OK with going to jail. Students also said Jones started playing rap music very loud and "dissed" kids for their weight, race, looks and money. She also asked if any students had a vape or marijuana because the class was "so f---ing lame and annoying."
After the students involved in the incident got out of class, they went to staff and told them about Jones. She was then escorted out of the building by police.
The criminal complaint went on to say, when Jones talked with police after the incident, she said she did it because "she was bored" and that she hates kids and "just wanted to 'f- around.'"
Rufus King High School
Woman got through security
Dig deeper:
According to the complaint, Jones is a former Rufus King student. She was at the school one week prior to the incident and got through security by blending in with students and walking around the school.
When Jones did that, court filings said she heard other staff in the main office talking about the substitute teacher agency and told the secretary she was a substitute. The complaint said Jones did not work for Rufus King or the substitute teaching agency the school uses.
Eight teachers were absent at Rufus King on the day Jones is accused of posing as a substitute, and only seven of those absences were filled, the complaint said, adding that Jones "got lucky because there happened to be an unfilled position."
MPS responds
What they're saying:
FOX6 News reached out to Milwaukee Public Schools. The principal declined to comment, and the district declined to give information on policies for how substitute teachers check in. MPS said it is continuing with its own investigation.
A spokesperson said the school district has put "supportive measures" in place for students in the affected cases, but did not elaborate on what those measures include.
The spokesperson also said the following statement was sent to school families and staff on Monday, Oct. 5:
Dear Rufus King International High School Families and Staff,
We value you as a member of the school community and want to provide you with an update on the message below we shared with you late last month.
Since our first communication, our initial investigation determined that this individual involved was a former student recognized by staff. She was not a substitute teacher. We did involve our Milwaukee Police Department school resource officers (SROs) the day that this occurred. The district’s Title IX coordinator was also notified. In addition to any police actions resulting from this situation, the district is continuing with its own investigation.
We will continue to take all appropriate action to ensure that Rufus King International High School remains a safe and welcoming place for our students and staff.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Doreen Badillo
Principal
Rufus King International High School
The Source: FOX6 News reviewed information from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court and reached out to Milwaukee Public Schools for a response to the charges.