MILWAUKEE, Wis. – A former Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) principal faces criminal charges for misconduct in public office for not telling law enforcement about an incident at school involving an 11-year-old student who pointed a gun at a classmate.
The incident happened on February 15 at Thurston Woods School, which is a K-4 through K-8 campus, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Prosecutors say a student brought a gun to school, pointed it at another student, and pulled the trigger, but it didn’t go off.
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Later that day, a student told a teacher about the gun, and the teacher retrieved it but did not notify authorities. Instead, she gave the gun to the principal of the school at the time, Dennis Daniels, 52. According to the complaint, Daniels didn’t immediately contact law enforcement. Instead, he brought the firearm to police the following morning, reports Fox11Online. The state of Wisconsin requires school administrators report violent incidents on campus that are serious and imminent threats to student safety.
The complaint also alleges Daniels said he found the gun in the bushes, which was later determined to not be true.
A few days after the incident, the teacher who gave Daniels the gun approached him again, saying she was concerned about how the incident was being handled. Although Daniels assured her it was being handled properly, she and another staff member weren’t convinced and contacted their union, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Student Allegedly Bragged He’d Bring Another Gun to School
The mismanagement of the situation also apparently had safety and security repercussions on campus. Shortly after the gun incident, several other Thurston Woods students got into a fight, and one of the participants was suspended. The student who was suspended said his punishment wasn’t fair because the student who brought the gun to school was not suspended and bragged that he’d bring another gun to school, reports Fox6Now.
The student who brought the firearm to campus and pointed it at a classmate was eventually expelled.
In May, Daniels was charged with felony misconduct in public office and misdemeanor obstructing an officer. It’s not clear if he is still employed by MPS, although his name doesn’t appear on the Thurston Wood Schools’ website.
