THIENSVILLE, Wis. — A former Thiensville Lutheran school principal began a 30-day jail sentence Wednesday after being convicted of failing to report child abuse at his school.
WATCH: Former principal begins 30-day jail sentence for failing to report child abuse
Michael Henning was sentenced last week in Ozaukee County Court on one misdemeanor count of 'Failure/ Report Child Abuse/ Neglect,' according to court documents obtained by TMJ4 News.
According to a partial transcript of the July 15 sentencing hearing, Judge Adam Gerol told Henning he should have done more to stop the abuse and that he had not shown remorse or taken responsibility for his failure to act.
The case centers on former Christ Alone Lutheran School (CALS) teacher Daniel Rick, who was accused of inappropriately touching students on the buttocks, kissing them on the forehead and pulling a boy's pants down.
Rick eventually plead guilty to one felony count of exposing himself to a child. In April, he was sentenced to one and a half years in prison, with an additional two years of extended supervision, according to court documents.
Judge Gerol noted that while Henning is not responsible for the teacher's actions, his inaction allowed the abuse to continue.
Henning resigned from CALS shortly after being charged in January, according to a statement from the school sent to TMJ4 News on Tuesday. The school said it remains committed to "the safety and well-being of every student."
Prosecutors alleged Henning first learned of the abuse in December 2023 but did not report it to authorities for more than a year, despite his status as a mandated reporter. Court documents also alleged Henning referred to parent complaints as a "he said, she said" situation and downplayed the teacher's actions as "dumb mistakes."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
