A group of parents in Wisconsin has filed a lawsuit against the Milwaukee Public Schools district, alleging that staff members were using a boiler room, ominously referred to as “the dungeon,” to intimidate and discipline students.

The lawsuit claims that when parents questioned their children about “the dungeon,” the mere mention of it caused the students to become extremely frightened and distressed, often breaking into tears. The complaint, filed by families of students from Thurston Woods School, accuses staff of employing this severe form of punishment during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years.

The legal document also highlights that the affected students suffered from disrupted sleep, frequent nightmares, and episodes of waking up in tears, all stemming from their fear of “the dungeon.”

Represented by Milwaukee attorney Drew DeVinney, several parents have pointed fingers at specific staff members at the pre-K through 8th-grade school. They claim these individuals, including a former male paraprofessional, repeatedly confined students in the boiler room as a disciplinary measure.

According to the lawsuit, students were allegedly locked in the room with the lights turned off, plunging them into complete darkness. The complaint states that they were left unable to exit, making this a terrifying punishment for the children.

The door to “the dungeon” leads to a basement-level boiler room, which the school allegedly used for storage, including storage of chemicals and cleaning agents. The room is said to be “very loud” due to the boiler running and “hazardous” because of the chemicals and cleaning agents, which were accompanied by buckets, boxes, furnace filters, ladders, boilers and other machinery.

“[Staffers] would require the students … to remove their shoes once locked inside ‘the dungeon,’” the complaint says. “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.”

After “numerous instances” of confining students to “the dungeon,” Milwaukee Public Schools allegedly undertook an investigation of the incidents and the paraprofessional resigned, according to DeVinney and the parents. He allegedly admitted to placing the children in the boiler room to “punish and frighten them,” per the complaint.

“Thurston Woods School staff failed to intervene [and] prevent children from being confined to the boiler room for punishment, despite having [an] opportunity to do so,” the complaint concludes. “Due to being confined in ‘the dungeon,’ the children … sustained mental and psychological harm, including but not limited to fright, grief, anger, fear, worry, emotional distress and trauma.”

Milwaukee Public Schools could not be reached for comment Sunday by Law&Crime, but the district did offer a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week, saying: “Milwaukee Public Schools is committed to maintaining safe and welcoming learning environments for all students and staff. While we cannot comment on ongoing litigation, the district thoroughly investigated this matter in 2023 and took appropriate disciplinary action which included termination of employment.”