GRAFTON, Wis. — Grafton police say they arrested a John Long Middle School teacher for making "terrorist threats" toward students in his classroom on Friday.
Seventh grader, Ethan Poulos, was in the classroom and explained to TMJ4's Mariam Mackar what happened.
"I don't really know what was going through my head, I was just so shocked that I couldn’t really think," said Poulos.
He said it started when a student discovered a discarded piece of paper with swastikas drawn on it on the floor of the classroom. That student then turned the paper in to their teacher, who is Jewish, to report it.
"At first he kind of just acted normal he just put it on his desk like 'I’m going to tell the office about this,'" Poulos recalled. "But then he picked up the piece of paper and went on a ramble about how that's bad and that's a disgrace to his people. He started mentioning the N-word and how that was worse than writing the N-word on the wall."
He said his teacher's anger quickly turned to threats.
"He started saying how he has 17 guns in his basement and he’s not afraid to use them, and he said that his daughter was going to go to like to our house with a baseball bat and like beat us up or something."
A student in the back of the class then reported the teacher to the front office, who then removed him from the building.
According to police, officers responded to the school for a report of a teacher making threatening statements towards students in his classroom on Friday.
An investigation revealed the "unidentified seventh-grade teacher" made "inappropriate and alarming statements" to his students. The teacher was arrested for terrorist threats and exposing a child to harmful material, descriptions, or narrations. Both are felonies.
The incident happened around 10 a.m. when a student texted his mother that his teacher made threatening statements and that he owned 17 guns. Police say they confirmed the teacher did admit, during a meeting with the school principal, that he made threatening statements out of anger.
Police say the teacher, who is Jewish, alleges he became angry after he found a student's artwork featuring swastikas. In the statement, police confirmed the teacher said he would "send his daughter to their homes with a baseball bat," "go scorched earth on them," and wished pain upon the students and their families.
Police say the teacher did not want to speak with the investigating officer without representation. He was taken to the Ozaukee County Jail where he awaits arraignment.
Grafton School District Superintendent Jeff S. Nelson sent a letter to district families and staff on Friday regarding the incident. He says the teacher was immediately placed on leave and escorted from the building.
The letter says in part, "This morning at John Long Middle School administration was informed of an issue regarding the inappropriate and unprofessional behavior of a staff member. An investigation was immediately conducted and the teacher was immediately placed on leave and escorted from the building. This staff member will continue to be on leave and will not have contact with students until we complete our investigation."
The letter says another teacher "promptly took action" to ensure all students were safe amid the incident.
"We understand that this situation may have had an adverse (effect) on our students and their feelings of security," Nelson said in the letter to families.
The district says they have offered reassurance and support for its students.
This is a developing story and will be updated as soon as we learn more.
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