MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A second parent has come forward with concerns at one Milwaukee Public Elementary School. It's concerns she found so troubling, she pulled her student out a week into the school year before things got even worse.
Two weeks ago, we told you about Brooklyn.Brooklyn's mother, Johnetta Fort, contacted TMJ4 after her daughter was allegedly pulled out of her wheelchair by another student at Gaenslen Elementary.
Fort shared with us and showed pictures of Brooklyn's five teeth that were knocked out during the incident.
Jennifer Talley reached out to TMJ4's Jenna Rae after seeing that story.
"My daughter was actually a classmate of Brooklyn's in special education room 111. I knew Brooklyn, and I also removed my child from Gaenslen after she was mistreated and injured at school," Talley said.
Talley's six-year-old daughter, Franceska, is also non-verbal and uses a wheelchair part of the time, similar to Brooklyn. A week into the school year, Talley pulled her daughter out.
"The conditions I observed at Gaenslen were extremely poor," Talley said.
It's a stark contrast to what Talley said she and Franceska were used to.
"She was enrolled at a different school for K5 at Parkview Elementary. They had a wonderful environment for her," Talley added.
Watch: Woman withdraws daughter from MPS school after she comes home covered in bruises
As her daughter prepared for first grade, Talley said MPS switched her to Gaenslen Elementary.
"I said I did not want Franceska enrolled at that school. I appealed to them to get a different placement, but I was told there was no other placement available," Talley explained. "On the first day of school there was no certified teacher present. There were three aids to the classroom who seemed to have no planned activities for the children."
Talley said that's not all.
"During the first week, she also came home without her hearing aid. No one could tell me what happened. The final straw really though was on that Friday when I picked up Franceska. I brought her home, and I went to change her diaper, and I saw that the right side of her body was covered in bruises from her ribs down to her thigh. I was not informed about any incident that happened at school," Talley explained.
Talley said she emailed the special education coordinator and told her Franceska wouldn't be coming back.
"I was extremely shocked and upset, disappointed, to realize that there's only one school in the district who's willing to accept her and that school failed so miserably in providing for her," Talley said.
A district, Talley said, she's now forced to leave.
"Two weeks ago I had to put my home on the market and sold it at a loss, unfortunately. I have to move her to a new district because there's nothing else in MPS that can accommodate Franceska," Talley said.
For the last two months, Talley said Franceska has been at home doing private therapies and learning until they can buy a new house and move districts.
"Advocate until you can't advocate anymore. After being told she could only attend Gaenslen, I did a lot of research and was very adamant she not be placed there. Call it mother's intuition, I knew something wasn’t right. I just wish there were better options for these kids," Talley explained.
A spokesperson for MPS responded to our questions via email and sent the following statement:
“MPS is aware of concerns raised by an individual about Gaenslen Elementary School and is thoroughly investigating the situation. Student safety remains our primary focus at MPS. When situations occur that could impact safety, the district has policies and procedures in place. Due to state and federal law, the district cannot comment on the circumstances of individual students and their families. The district cannot comment on personnel matters. MPS follows its code of conduct when addressing consequences for anyone determined to be involved.”
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