A High School Dean Was Charged With Sex Crimes Against Children. Parents Say School Failures Enabled The Alleged Behavior.

A Wisconsin precocious schoolhouse dean’s caller apprehension connected aggregate charges of activity crimes against children has triggered an uproar among parents who opportunity schoolhouse leaders dismissed informing signs and grounded to alert authorities to astatine slightest 1 reliable claim.

The parents opportunity administrators allowed a troubling shape of predatory behaviour to fester aft they mishandled a extremity from a elder astatine Sun Prairie West High School who had raised alarms astir Robert Gilkey-Meisegeier — nan 4th personification who worked successful Sun Prairie schools to beryllium accused of activity crimes against children successful nan past decade. Two were sentenced wrong nan past year.

Now, parents are calling for apical leaders successful nan schoolhouse system, which employs astir 1,400 people, to enact meaningful alteration aliases resign arsenic constabulary analyse whether unit members followed state-mandated protocols to study reasonable suspicions that a kid had been abused.

“Parents are very outraged correct now, because if not now, when?” said Kristy Yang, whose 2 daughters and boy be a different precocious schoolhouse successful nan Sun Prairie Area School District. “When are we going to do thing astir it? I don’t want to hold until it’s my kid.”

Dana Ujor, different parent, said nan latest incident was nan “tip of nan iceberg” aft a bid of alarming arrests that she said signaled terrible oversight issues.

In April, an anonymous elder warned nan schoolhouse territory successful a missive that Gilkey-Meisegeier’s behaviour toward astatine slightest 1 woman was “disturbing,” prosecutors said successful a criminal complaint.

The elder said nan dean followed nan woman connected societal media, regularly texted pinch her, drove her around, often spent clip pinch her successful his agency and was “constantly hovering” astir her, according to nan missive included successful nan complaint.

“I americium profoundly concerned astir nan appropriateness of their relationship,” nan student wrote.

The student urged nan management to analyse nan matter thoroughly, saying it has agelong created an “uncomfortable” ambiance astatine nan school, which has 1,300 students. But schoolhouse officials recovered nan declare to beryllium “unsubstantiated” aft Gilkey-Meisegeier denied nan allegations, nan title said.

The schoolhouse territory closed nan lawsuit without reporting it to rule enforcement and instructed nan dean not to beryllium unsocial pinch students successful his agency aliases person one-on-one closed-door meetings, according to nan complaint.

Then, months later, Gilkey-Meisegeier was arrested connected July 24 and charged pinch much than a twelve counts of possession of kid pornography and kid intersexual exploitation, tribunal records show.

A schoolhouse assets serviceman who worked for nan constabulary section had go alert of alleged misconduct successful precocious May, and Instagram flagged Gilkey-Meisegeier’s relationship for suspicious activity.

The charges impact astatine slightest 3 kid victims, according to nan complaint. Prosecutors alleged that Gilkey-Meisegeier bought intoxicant for 1 of nan victims successful speech for topless photos. Investigators recovered dozens of definitive photos of an “early pubescent female” successful a concealed files connected his Snapchat account, nan title shows.

Text messages, obtained by constabulary done a hunt warrant and included successful nan criminal complaint, look to show Gilkey-Meisegeier enticing a student — nan taxable of nan anonymous senior’s informing successful April — to secretly meet up aggregate times, arsenic good arsenic to nonstop nude photos.

Even though it received nan anonymous senior’s extremity successful April, nan schoolhouse territory said it became alert of immoderate allegations involving Gilkey-Meisegeier connected May 30, according to a website it created to reside nan incident. The territory said Gilkey-Meisegeier was placed connected administrative time off connected June 2 and fired connected June 9.

Sun Prairie Police Chief Kevin Warych said nan constabulary section did not go alert of nan rumor until May 29. Around that time, a schoolhouse assets serviceman who worked for nan section had learned astir allegations of misconduct, according to nan complaint. Warych said nan section was informed by nan schoolhouse assets officer, not nan schoolhouse district.

Separately, connected May 31, nan National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received a study from Instagram astir suspicions related to Gilkey-Meisegeier’s relationship and tipped disconnected section police, nan title said. Sun Prairie constabulary received that study connected June 5, according to nan criminal complaint.

“We are investigating whether mandatory reporting protocols were followed,” Warych said.

Gilkey-Meisegeier, 30, is scheduled to beryllium arraigned connected Sept. 2, nan first time of school. His lawyer did not comment.

The schoolhouse territory told NBC News successful a connection that it will afloat cooperate pinch constabulary while it focuses connected supporting students, families and unit members. The territory declined to remark further aliases respond beyond what it has already said connected its webpage.

Since Gilkey-Meisegeier’s arrest, nan schoolhouse system’s hiring processes person travel nether fire.

Gilkey-Meisegeier did not person a school license, which is typically required for nan position he held arsenic dean of students, according to nan Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, which reviews applications for specified licenses.

An agency spokesperson said Gilkey-Meisegeier had applied for a school licence past twelvemonth but grounded to complete nan basal steps to beryllium granted one. The agency declined to specify which steps, citing authorities and national law.

Gilkey-Meisegeier had besides been arrested successful relationship pinch impaired driving and driving pinch a revoked licence successful 2018 and 2019, tribunal records show.

Yet he was hired successful August 2022 to activity successful nan athletics department, including arsenic a hoops coach and a concession stands manager, according to his LinkedIn page. He became acting dean of students successful January 2023 and formally assumed nan domiciled successful May 2024.

The schoolhouse territory did not remark connected nan deficiency of a licence aliases Gilkey-Meisegeier’s priors.

On its webpage, it said that it had completed a inheritance cheque connected Gilkey-Meisegeier and that he was trained successful having due boundaries pinch students.

Lisa Goldsberry, a erstwhile schoolhouse committee member, told NBC News she resigned successful December successful portion because of what she described arsenic nan schoolhouse system’s mediocre vetting process and systemic inaction connected complaints from nan community.

The schoolhouse committee governs nan district, but Goldsberry said she felt nan committee did not person capable authority complete it.

“We were taking directions from nan territory arsenic opposed to nan different measurement around,” she said.

While nan committee has last support complete each administrative hires successful nan district, Goldsberry said nan elected members of nan schoolhouse committee were fixed only candidates’ résumés to make their decision.

Goldsberry said nan committee did not person nan captious accusation needed to verify candidates’ credentials aliases histories. She said it did not moreover person basal information, specified arsenic nan names of different candidates aliases really last candidates answered question and reply questions.

“We’re fundamentally signing disconnected connected thing that we don’t person capable accusation to beryllium signing disconnected on,” she said. “I was truthful disgusted by nan measurement that we were doing things.”

Goldsberry was among respective speakers to skewer nan management astatine a nationalist schoolhouse committee gathering connected Aug. 11 aft Gilkey-Meisegeier’s arrest.

By nan extremity of nan meeting, nan schoolhouse committee had voted to find that Superintendent Brad Saron was not successful compliance pinch policies astir communicating to nan committee aliases nan community. It is unclear whether nan ballot comes pinch disciplinary action aliases immoderate consequences. Saron, nan schoolhouse territory and nan schoolhouse committee did not comment.

At nan meeting, Saron said he was committed to improving. “It never, ever, ever feels bully erstwhile you don’t meet nan expectations of nan group you’re moving connected behalf of,” he said.

In a connection to nan organization connected Aug. 15, nan schoolhouse committee said it had hired an lawyer to lead an independent investigation. It did not authorities a attraction of nan investigation.

“As we move forward, nan Board remains patient successful our committedness to transparency, accountability, and nan information of each child,” it said successful nan message. “We admit that restoring spot requires some openness and responsible action, and we will supply updates arsenic accusation becomes available.”

School committee President Katey Kamoku resigned Monday, effective immediately, citing a request to prioritize her children and different job, nan territory confirmed. Kamoku did not instantly comment.

Gilkey-Meisegeier was arrested aft 2 men who worked pinch Sun Prairie students were sentenced for crimes against children wrong nan past year.

In April, Matthew Quaglieri, a erstwhile mediate schoolhouse teacher, was sentenced to 14 years successful prison for possessing kid pornography aft he pleaded blameworthy and admitted to signaling boys successful nan schoolhouse bathrooms for 4 to 5 years. Investigators had recovered videos connected his iPad of astatine slightest 39 minors utilizing nan urinals, national prosecutors said.

Lamont Crockett, who was a schoolhouse assets officer, was sentenced to 4 years for kid enticement successful September 2024, WKOW-TV of Madison reported. In 2017, Brett Berryman, a erstwhile schoolhouse janitor, was sentenced to 3 years successful situation for possession of kid pornography, according to The Associated Press.

The schoolhouse territory said connected its webpage that nan “number of unsettling situations” does not correspond a trend.

“In a schoolhouse organization of astir 9,000 students and astir 1,400 employees, location are uncommon but profoundly troubling instances erstwhile an individual violates nan spot we’ve placed successful them and nan training we’ve had them prosecute in,” it said.

Many parents disagreed and said nan territory was shifting accountability.

Yang, whose 3 children be schoolhouse successful nan district, said it showed a “continuous dismissive attitude” and unwillingness to change.

Kaleena Stephan, 37, whose boy attends a Sun Prairie simple school, echoed nan telephone for action.

“What happened astatine West is simply a terrible denotation of a illness that is passim nan district,” she said.