Three families have filed a civil lawsuit alleging a Milwaukee Public Schools employee locked elementary students in a dark boiler room dubbed “the dungeon” as punishment, forcing them to remove their shoes and stand among cleaning chemicals. The filing, made this week in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, centers on incidents at Thurston Woods School on the city’s north side and names the district and several staff members as defendants, according to attorneys for the families.
The case matters now because it raises fresh questions about student safety and discipline inside a public school, along with what administrators knew and when. The families say multiple children were confined in a pitch-black utility space on more than one occasion and that some now struggle with sleep problems and nightmares. Their attorney, Drew DeVinney, says hallway and boiler-room video clips support the claims. Milwaukee Public Schools has said the employee involved is no longer with the district and that corrective action followed an internal review, while declining detailed comment on pending litigation. The suit seeks accountability, policy changes, and damages.
According to the complaint, the practice unfolded during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 school years in the basement boiler room at Thurston Woods, a K–8 campus. Families allege a paraprofessional led students to the space with the lights off, ordered them to take off their shoes, and closed the door so they could not leave. The suit describes “strong chemical odors” from stored cleaners and says children were left frightened and crying. In one clip cited by the families’ lawyer, a staffer is seen pulling a student by the arm toward the boiler-room doorway and standing in front of it. The families say other adults knew about the practice and, at times, threatened students with a trip to “the dungeon” to make them behave. “These children were terrified,” DeVinney said in an interview, adding that the episodes were meant to intimidate rather than teach.
The lawsuit names Milwaukee Public Schools, Thurston Woods administrators, and the paraprofessional as defendants. It accuses them of negligence, false imprisonment, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The complaint says building leaders failed to stop the confinement even after students talked about it at home and parents raised concerns. It also alleges violations of state rules that limit seclusion and require that any use of isolation be tied to an immediate safety threat and be documented and reported to families. The filing states no such reports were provided and that the boiler room was not a designated seclusion space. District representatives have not filed a response in court; they said they do not comment on active litigation but emphasized student welfare as a top priority.
Parents say the children reported the room was “pitch-black,” that they were told to remove shoes, and that the space smelled like chemicals. One parent said a child began waking at night and refused to enter school bathrooms or storage spaces afterward. Another family said their student started sleeping with lights on and complained of stomach aches before class. The complaint links those changes to the alleged punishment and includes statements from a counselor who met with one child. The families’ lawyer said the videos were obtained from security cameras and from inside the boiler room; he declined to release the clips publicly, saying they would be used as exhibits. The paraprofessional could not be reached for comment.
Thurston Woods sits in a residential stretch of Milwaukee with a mix of single-family homes and small apartment buildings. The school serves younger grades through middle school and, like other MPS campuses, employs paraprofessionals to assist teachers and supervise students. Records referenced by the families indicate the staffer left district employment in late 2023 following an internal review. Public remarks from people familiar with the matter say other staff members were counseled or disciplined. The district has not confirmed personnel details, citing privacy rules, but said broadly that it took action when concerns were raised. Parents contend those steps came too late and that students had already been harmed.
Wisconsin regulations restrict seclusion and restraint in schools, requiring that any such measures be used only to prevent imminent harm and be tracked and reported to parents and to the district. The lawsuit argues the boiler-room confinement was punishment, not an emergency response, and that recordkeeping rules were ignored. Attorneys say they will seek documents showing whether school leaders logged any incident reports from the time period and whether parents were notified in writing. They also want maintenance records for the boiler room, a list of chemicals stored there, and training materials for paraprofessionals assigned to student supervision.
Legally, the case begins a standard civil process. Defendants will be served, then have a set time to answer. A judge will schedule initial conferences to manage discovery on video, staff emails and texts, and student statements. Plaintiffs say they will ask for a protective order that shields the children’s names and any identifying details. If the district admits prior discipline in 2023, attorneys could test whether its actions were sufficient and whether any policy changes followed. Possible outcomes include settlement talks, a court-ordered mediation, or a trial focused on whether the alleged “dungeon” punishment occurred and caused lasting harm. No criminal charges have been announced.
Around the neighborhood this week, families traded stories about what their children had heard at school. Some said the phrase “the dungeon” had circulated among students long before parents realized it referred to a real room. Others said they were reassured by news that the employee was gone but still wanted a clear statement about how supervision will work moving forward. A former student described the basement as “creaky and loud” when the building systems cycled on and said even a normal walk-through could scare younger kids. Classroom aides and specialists at nearby schools said they were watching the news closely to see what guidance might come next from the district office.
As of Tuesday, the families’ attorney said the children remain enrolled but are receiving additional support for anxiety and sleep issues. The next milestone is procedural: serving the complaint and setting a scheduling conference in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. The district is expected to file its answer in the coming weeks. Attorneys for both sides said they will reserve further comment until the first hearing, when a judge will set discovery deadlines and address any request to seal student records.
Author note: Last updated December 17, 2025.