A Milwaukee Public Schools employee was arrested in connection to “slamming a student on the floor,” the student’s father said.
The 26-year-old man, who worked as a janitor at Wedgewood Park International School, picked up a 14-year-old boy, Khalib, and slammed him on the floor around lunch time May 8, according to the student’s father, Sery Jones.
The Milwaukee Police Department confirmed it is “investigating a child abuse complaint” and “criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the coming days,” the department said in a May 12 email.
Sery Jones said he wants the janitor to be held accountable to the “fullest extent possible.”
“As a parent, you send your kid to school thinking that’s a safe space for them,” he said. “And there’s always gonna be altercations sometimes with other students. But you never think it’s gonna be a situation with an adult.”
Sery Jones said when he arrived at the school May 8, Khalib had blood on one of his ears, a swollen wrist and scratches on his hands. Sery Jones said he took his son out of school, but said Khalib went back to school on May 11, although with some apprehension.
The incident occurred when Khalib was talking to his friends about playing football and the janitor said to Khalib that he was not good enough to play football, Sery Jones said.
When Khalib said something back to the janitor and walked away with his friends, the janitor came from behind Khalib’s back and attacked Khalib, according to Sery Jones.
Sery Jones said the school’s principal, Elhadji Ndaw, called him after the incident and said the janitor was no longer working in the building.
Later on Friday, Ndaw sent an email to families and staff, as shared with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by Milwaukee Public Schools, stating that the school is conducting an “internal investigation” and will take any “disciplinary action” to ensure the school remains a safe environment for all.
“If you work around kids, you should have some type of restraint,” Sery Jones said. “Don’t go off impulses so much or let your emotions get the best of you when working around children.”
Eva Wen is an investigative data reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Reach her at qwen@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPS employee may face charges after student said he was body slammed
Reporting by Eva Wen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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