A troubling legal battle has emerged as parents have initiated a lawsuit against Milwaukee Public Schools following a disturbing revelation. A former paraprofessional at the district admitted to confining students in a boiler room—a space referred to ominously as the “dungeon” by the students themselves. This alarming practice came to light after the individual resigned in November 2023 amidst an ongoing investigation.

The lawsuit alleges that over two consecutive school years, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, three students were repeatedly subjected to this harrowing experience. As reported by WITI, the paraprofessional confessed to using this method as a “scare tactic,” which seems to have had the intended effect.

The boiler room, described in the lawsuit, was far from a safe environment for children. It was cluttered with “chemicals, cleaning agents, boilers, and other machinery,” posing significant risks to the students who were left in the dark, both literally and figuratively. The legal action now seeks to address the profound breach of trust and safety within the school environment.

And apparently, it worked.

The lawsuit said the boiler room was filled with “chemicals, cleaning agents, boilers, and other machinery,” making it hazardous to students who were locked in the room with the lights out.

“[Staffers] would require the students … to remove their shoes once locked inside ‘the dungeon,’” the complaint says, according to Law&Crime. “Locked in the dark, [the students] were subjected to the harsh smells of the chemicals and cleaning products that were stored in the boiler room. Sometimes [the paraprofessional] would use his body as a barricade to the door to ensure the confined student was not able to leave the boiler room.”

A video obtained by WITI shows the paraprofessional putting a child into the boiler room and barricading the door to keep the child inside. The child remains inside for about a minute until the paraprofessional drags the child out by the arm.

The lawsuit names three addtional staffers it says knew about the abusive behavior at Thurston Woods School, a K-8 school in Milwaukee.

“Concerningly, MPS did not report any of these instances of seclusion and restraint to the Department of Public Instruction, in violation of Wisconsin law,” attorney Drew DeVinney said in a statement. “Additionally, the sole video produced by MPS shows multiple staff members in the vicinity of this unlawful conduct when it occurred and that no one intervened to stop it.”

The school system declined to comment about the lawsuit but said it is “committed to maintaining safe and welcoming learning environments for all students and staff.”

“The district thoroughly investigated this matter in 2023 and took appropriate disciplinary action which included termination of employment,” the district said.

It did not comment on any harm to students who were mistreated in the incidents.