A Kenosha middle school teacher is currently on administrative leave following serious allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student. The allegations have shaken the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) community, particularly parents who are now questioning the district’s transparency and handling of such issues.
The teacher, whose identity has been withheld due to the absence of formal charges, is employed at the Kenosha School of Technology Enhanced Curriculum (KTEC) West. The controversy surfaced when parents, frustrated with the lack of communication from the school, turned to TMJ4 News for answers. “Because we can’t get anywhere by ourselves. They don’t want to listen to us,” one parent told reporter Jenna Rae.
The situation escalated when Alicia Figueroa, whose daughter has been attending KTEC since kindergarten, voiced her disappointment. “It’s really unfortunate that I put my trust in that school for so long,” Figueroa said. The sentiment was echoed by many other parents who feel that the district almost dismissed their concerns regarding child safety.
Details of the allegations began to emerge on social media in February, leading parents like Figueroa to seek more information directly from school officials. According to a 101-page report from the Kenosha Police Department, the accused teacher engaged in inappropriate communications with a student via Snapchat, outside school hours, starting in June 2023. Although hundreds of messages were deleted, police investigations revealed a pattern suggestive of grooming.
Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton highlighted the severity of the situation. “We believe it was a grooming-like relationship that started to cross the lines from what a traditional student-teacher relationship should be,” Patton explained. Despite these findings, there was deemed insufficient evidence to proceed with an arrest.
Parents were particularly aggrieved by the lack of communication from KUSD. “Nobody was notified at all that there’s even an investigation or incident. We didn’t even get an email regarding this until three days ago,” one parent lamented.
In response, the district stated that they are taking the allegations seriously and confirmed that the teacher has not returned to the classroom pending an investigation. However, the reassurances did little to quell the community’s uproar. “This isn’t a personnel issue. This is a man who victimized a 12-year-old child. This should be on every news station saying how come there’s no action on this,” a parent argued.
In a move to force change, Figueroa has initiated an online petition demanding the teacher’s termination and greater rule transparency within the district. The petition has gathered nearly 900 signatures in just five days.
The KUSD school board is scheduled to meet Tuesday evening, an event that will likely draw significant attention from concerned parents and community members.