The parents of three students have filed a lawsuit against Milwaukee Public Schools and several employees at Thurston Woods School, alleging their children were taken to the school’s boiler room — referred to as the “dungeon” — and confined there to intimidate and punish them.
In a complaint filed Dec. 8 and later obtained by a national outlet, the parents claim that during the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 school years, staff threatened students at the K4–8 school with being sent to the “dungeon” if they did not behave. The complaint alleges employees said they would call a paraprofessional — also named as a defendant — “to take the students to the ‘dungeon’ and lock them inside with the lights turned off so that it would be pitch black. The students would be left inside with no ability to leave as form of punishment.”
The lawsuit describes the “dungeon” as a basement-level boiler room that was loud due to the boiler running. The complaint also alleges the room posed hazards because chemical and cleaning agents were stored there.
According to the court filing, when the paraprofessional confined students in the room, he allegedly shut off the lights, leaving them in complete darkness. The complaint further alleges he sometimes required students to remove their shoes.
The lawsuit claims that, while locked inside, students were “subjected to the harsh smells of the chemicals and cleaning products that were stored in the boiler room.” In some instances, the complaint alleges, 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.”
The complaint also alleges that multiple school employees at different times threatened students with the “dungeon” and instructed the paraprofessional to take children there as punishment.
Court papers say the parents were not told about the boiler room before it was used in this way and did not consent to it as a disciplinary measure.
The filing further alleges that when parents later asked their children about the “dungeon,” some became so distressed that they cried. The complaint claims the students experienced sleep problems and nightmares and became fearful about returning to school because they worried they could be taken back to that room.
According to the lawsuit, Milwaukee Public Schools opened an investigation and determined the paraprofessional violated administrative and disciplinary policies. The complaint says he was fired as a result.
“As a result of the defendants’ conduct, the plaintiffs suffered damages, including past and future emotional distress, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and other damages,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit alleges, among other claims, that some staff members were negligent; that the school district was negligent in hiring, training, and supervising employees; and that several employees failed to intervene to stop the alleged confinement of children in the boiler room “despite having opportunity to do so.”
Attorney Drew DeVinney, who represents the families, said in a Dec. 17 emailed statement that the conduct alleged in the case was “egregious.” He also alleged staff targeted younger students, including children as young as six or seven, and said families reported changes in behavior that only made sense once they learned about the alleged use of the “dungeon.”
He added that his clients want the issue addressed to prevent similar incidents and alleged the district did not report instances of seclusion and restraint to the state, which he said violated the law. He also alleged that a video produced by the district shows staff members who witnessed the conduct and did not intervene.
A school district spokesperson said in a statement that the district is “committed to maintaining safe and welcoming learning environments for all students and staff.” The spokesperson added that while the district could not comment on ongoing litigation, it investigated the matter in 2023 and took disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
