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Hartstern Elementary School in Louisville, Ky. (Google Maps).
A former elementary school principal in Kentucky was accused of threatening two second-grade students with a gun that turned out to be fake.
Duan Wright, whose age was not made available, was named in a lawsuit filed by the parent of one of the students along with the superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools Dr. Marty Pollio and assistant superintendent Paige Hartstern. The lawsuit said that in September 2019, Wright, who was the principal of Hartstern Elementary School at the time, allegedly “slammed” a gun onto the desk in his office then told two second-graders who were removed from class for misbehaving that if they didn’t “get it together, I’m going to feed you to the wolves.”
According to the lawsuit, Wright said the gun was a toy, and Pollio confirmed to the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board that it was indeed a toy gun. However, the school has a rule that states that even a “look-alike” weapon can and will be treated the same as a real weapon if it’s used “to intimidate, threaten, or harass someone.”
Wright also forced the boys to stay in his office all day as punishment for disrupting class. The lawsuit said that the gun came out after Wright became “frustrated” with the boys’ behavior.
According to the lawsuit, the boys believed the threat to their lives was real and cried after seeing the gun and hearing Wright’s alleged threat. The mother of one of the boys, who is the plaintiff in the lawsuit, stated that her son’s behavior “drastically changed” following the incident and he exhibited symptoms such as “frequent bedwetting, stomach aches, headaches, and uncharacteristic outbursts at home, which was atypical behavior.”
Both boys reported the incident to other teachers at the school, and Child Protective Services interviewed them both separately. One of the children also claimed that Wright had “spanked” him on another occasion. Their accounts were described in the lawsuit as “consistent and detailed.”
The lawsuit states that Wright pulled both boys out of class to discuss the CPS interviews. He denied the incident to CPS when he was interviewed by the agency.
Despite the boys’ accounts of events, no disciplinary action was taken against Wright in connection to the gun incident. The claims made by the students were declared “unsubstantiated” and “inconclusive.” Months later, in January 2020, Wright reportedly contacted the mother who filed the lawsuit and admitted to showing the boys a “toy gun” that he’d taken from another student. He also allegedly continued to “confront” her son at school for months.
The Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board stepped in to investigate after Jefferson County Schools dismissed the incident, but before evidence against Wright was to be presented, he cut a deal for a two-month suspension, ethics training, and probation.
This was not the first incident involving Wright, who was terminated from his position at Jefferson County Public Schools in March 2024. In 2022, he was sued by another parent for allegedly physically abusing a child. Wright was forced out of his position as principal of the elementary school, but instead of being terminated, he was transferred to a different part of the school system while maintaining a leadership position.
The mother of the boy he admitted to threatening worked in the same building where Wright was transferred. The lawsuit said that she was “shocked and terrified” to see Wright where she worked and felt “physically ill” in his presence. Much like he allegedly did with her son, Wright “frequently” asked her to “drop the case” against him. She eventually resigned from her position.
The lawsuit accused the school district and Wright of negligence, outrage, false imprisonment, and assault. Follio and Hartstern, according to the suit, “refus[ed] to take action to reprimand Wright and permitted him to remain in a position of power over the very students that he was abusing.” The plaintiffs are seeking punitive and compensatory damages.
Law&Crime reached out to Follio but did not receive a response.