WAUKESHA, Wis. — Waukesha parents are still dealing with the aftershock of their child care center being shut down amid allegations of child abuse by one of the teachers.
On Sept. 14, parents had to abruptly pick up their kids from The Lawrence School in Waukesha as police arrived at the daycare to begin investigating the abuse claims.
Kyle Boone, the father of two kids that went to the school, said he hasn't been able to get back into the school to get his kids' stuff. When he went on Thursday, the doors were locked and no one was there.
"I'll probably come back the next couple of days and see if I can get in there," Boone said.
Boone has a 5-year-old that was in a 4k class at The Lawrence School and a 2-year-old in the daycare. Locked in the school are his kids' school supplies, change of clothes, diapers and wipes, and other items.
He said he's tried reaching out to the school but hasn't heard anything about being able to pick up his kids' stuff.
Neither of his kids were in the class with the teacher accused of child abuse, but it didn't make finding out any less horrifying.
"I was just backtracking to every conversation we've ever had with the kids to see if there was anything we could notice to see if there was something different with them. Then just mortified for the parent that had to go through it. I was almost physically sick just thinking about it," Boone said.
His wife was dropping them off that Wednesday when she saw the owner of The Lawrence School leaving with police.
"Jim was in handcuffs walking out and my son was crying, not understanding why 'cause he said he was a good guy and good people don't get arrested," Boone said.
Prior to the day he calls 'horrifying,' Boone said they were happy with the school and had good interactions with the owner. He feels differently now.
"It's very aggravating that this is how we had to hear about everything. Especially if he found out that one of the kids in their care was getting hurt and they didn't do anything about it, that's messed up. That ain't right," Boone said.
It's also been a hectic week as his family has had to deal with losing their child care. For the first few days, they relied on family in the area.
"We'd be a lost cause if we didn't have my wife's grandma or my in-laws, we'd be in a very tough spot and I'm sure there's parents out there that currently are," Boone said.
However, he said the Waukesha School District has been helpful in getting the 4k students placed at new schools. His 5-year-old started at a new school earlier this week and has been adjusting well.
His 2-year-old is still staying with family for now.
"It's been a pain. My wife's grandmother watches the kids and she lives in Waterford. It's added a couple of hours to both of our days," he said.
They are looking for other daycares, but they haven't found an open spot yet.
